Theorizing Vicarious ‘Illegality’: The Collateral Consequences of ‘Illegality’ on Mexican-origin Women’s Stress and Mental Health

Fri, April 23, 2021 12:00 PM at Zoom

Dr. San Juanita García, Assistant Professor, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara will be giving a lecture via Zoom in the Sociology Department on Friday, April 23, 12-1:30.

"Theorizing Vicarious ‘Illegality’: The Collateral Consequences of ‘Illegality’ on Mexican-origin Women’s Stress and Mental Health" 

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 semi-structured 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.