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enforcement. It provided them the opportunity to point out contradictions in the behavior
of border guards and protections that the law is supposed to provide. In this case trust in
each other and in bridging leaders like Ramirez enabled them to confront what seemed a
hostile and impermeable state. Their experience underscores Jones-Correa and Leal’s
(2001) argument that immigrant communities’ isolation from the political system creates
a need for bridging mechanisms to facilitate immigrants’ recruitment and engagement in
politics. For those travelers, the act of political advocacy was a risk but it and gave both
them and the congressional staff a more nuanced understanding of selective
accountability and selective justice in the political system. In order to act they needed
logistical assistance and assurance of their safety, and the bridging leader’s conviction
that they had something to offer. In the process of the action they developed efficacy.
While the role of a supportive community is most apparent for enabling political
action by undocumented immigrants, such supports are also necessary for citizens who
are marginalized from politics by virtue of group identity or socio-economic status. At a
rally held at a Catholic church in spring 2006, Walter Jones, from Mt. Zion Missionary
Baptist Church, stood at the podium and asked a Detroit City Council member to support
MOSES’ efforts promote civil rights for immigrants and end racial profiling.
Representing his church, Jones effectively connected the CRI campaign to the larger
ongoing struggle for civil rights. In an interview the following week, he reflected on how
he felt speaking to the public officials and the audience.
I get a lot of respect and a lot of accolades but then those are only accolades
because I’m the one in the front. You ever see that commercial, the Verizon
commercial where this guy walks into this field with these gangsters and they tell
him, “I thought I told you to come by yourself” and he looks back and says, “Oh,
that’s my network.” See, that’s how I feel when I’m up on the stage like Sunday.
You see me but here’s a guy who I trust with my life, Reverend Barlow, who’s
Convention