Situational triggers and protective locations: conceptualising the salience of deportability in everyday life

Previous research has documented the severe consequences of deportation and conceptualised deportability as a key factor that produces and sustains immigrant illegality. Drawing on interview and survey data with 1.5 generation undocumented young adults in California, we explore the mechanisms that s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ethnic and migration studies 2021-07, Vol.47 (9), p.2089-2108
Main Authors: Enriquez, Laura E., Millán, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1.5 generation
Concept formation
Criminalization
Deportability
Deportation
Enforcement
Everyday life
Fear & phobias
immigrant illegality
Immigrants
Immigration
immigration enforcement
Immigration policy
Preoccupation
Undocumented immigrants
Young adults
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Summary:Previous research has documented the severe consequences of deportation and conceptualised deportability as a key factor that produces and sustains immigrant illegality. Drawing on interview and survey data with 1.5 generation undocumented young adults in California, we explore the mechanisms that structure the salience of deportability in everyday life. We argue that deportability is a situationally triggered fear that is reduced when individuals occupy protective spatial and social locations that limit their exposure to immigration enforcement mechanisms. Drawing on the case of Californian undocumented young adults, we demonstrate that the more protective locations one occupies, the less likely they are to experience their own deportability as a salient dimension of illegality. In this case, deportability mostly emerges as a fear of family separation and preoccupation with undocumented parents who are less likely to occupy protective locations. Our findings nuance theoretical conceptualisations of the role deportability plays in constructing immigrant illegality.
ISSN:1369-183X
1469-9451
DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2019.1694877