Human Service Administrators' Knowledge About Immigration Policy: Associations With Attitudes, Political Ideology, and Organizational Practices

To be effective, providers of human services must be knowledgeable about immigration policy. This study aims to (a) assess the accuracy of human service administrators' knowledge about state immigration policy and (b) identify individual and organizational characteristics associated with immigration policy knowledge. The study focuses on Alabama, which implemented a highly restrictive state immigration law in 2011. A survey of a probability sample of human service administrators found that many administrators thought that state immigration policy was even more restrictive-of both immigrants and those who help them-than it actually was. Consistent with theory, administrators with more favorable attitudes toward immigrants and stronger perceptions of community support for immigrant services were more knowledgeable about the law's specific restrictions.