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Theorizing Vicarious ‘Illegality’: The Collateral Consequences of ‘Illegality’

on Mexican-origin Women’s Stress and Mental Health

Dr. San Juanita García, U-C, Santa Barbara

12 p.m. Friday April 23

Abstract: While scholarly attention on the mental health of undocumented Mexican

immigrants in the United States is growing rapidly, less is known about the collateral

damage that family and loved ones of the undocumented confront. Bridging the stress

process literature with immigration research, I examine how ‘illegality’ influences the

stress ‘legal’ Mexican immigrant and U.S.- born Mexican American women confront in

Houston, Texas. Findings from sixty semistructured interviews demonstrate that the

social consequences of ‘illegality’ have spillover effects on the lives of documented and Mexican

American women, a concept I call ‘vicarious illegality.’ Applying a sociological lens to

understand the social consequences of stress on family, romantic partners, and loved ones

of the undocumented, my findings highlight the collateral consequences that a deportation

regime induces for families and communities.

Sociology Speaker Series 2021

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