LivingSin Papeles

Abstract

In the United States, the construction of "illegality" of undocumented Latino workers is predicated upon multiple interacting social, economic, political, and sociological factors and consignment to an inferior social status, harsh living conditions, and exploitation. These "cumulative vulnerabilities" contribute to increased stressors and poor psychological health outcomes. However, little is known about these marginalized workers' experience of negotiating life in "illegality." This qualitative study adopts a social constructivist perspective to examine the strategies these undocumented workers use to manage "illegality" and psychosocial stress. We conducted four focus groups with 27 participants and in-depth interviews with eight of these participants. Thematic analysis combined with constant comparison yielded the overarching theme of living sin papeles (without legal papers). Findings reveal that, phenomenologically, sin papeles extends far beyond legal status, being a condition of ever-present instability, insecurity, and hypervigilance that affects the social, work, health, and living conditions of undocumented Latino immigrants.

Vaya Con Dios: The Influence of Religious Constructs on Stressors around the Migration Process and U.S. Lived Experiences among Latina/o Immigrants

“…Upon arriving to the U.S., Latina/o immigrants encounter a number of stressors-many of which may be compacted with acculturative stress [23], idioms of distress [24,25], and immigration stressors [4,23,25,26]. On top of the daily stressors faced in the U.S., heightened stress may also be connected to legal status [11], fear of deportation [27,28] and heightened ethnic discrimination [23,24,[29][30][31].…”

“…Although Torres and Wallace [2] note that these reasons vary by country of origin, Latina/o immigrants typically migrate due to lack of financial resources, family obligations, as well as social-political factors encountered in their country of origin [3]. While migrating to the U.S. may be perceived as a positive outlook towards one's life due to the possibility of gaining resources [4], those who migrate, especially those without legal status, may face additional lost resources including loss of safety stemming from fear of deportation [5,6]. Fear of deportation, even for individuals who have a legal status in the U.S., not only instills stress, but also creates distrust towards public establishments such as legal and social services [7][8][9][10].…”

“…Fear of deportation, even for individuals who have a legal status in the U.S., not only instills stress, but also creates distrust towards public establishments such as legal and social services [7][8][9][10]. Additionally, despite moving to the U.S. to gain financial prosperity [4,11], Latina/o immigrants continue to report financial and work-related stressors while living in the U.S. [2,12]. Even though recent literature provides consistent findings as it pertains to the U.S. lived experiences of Latina/o immigrants, little is known on how religious practice shapes these experiences, especially when resources (e.g., familial and financial support resources) are lost.…”

The Study of Irregular Migration

“…On the other hand, the personal feelings, attitudes and identity negotiations that irregular migrants develop in relation to their status have been investigated (Coutin, 2005a;De Genova, 2002;Engbersen, 2001;Fernández-Esquer, Agoff, & Leal, 2017;Vasta, 2011;Willen, 2007). Engbersen has argued that the illegal status is a master status, "a dominant social characteristic overshadowing all other personal characteristics" (Engbersen, 2001, p. 240).…”

Towards a Systemic Theory of Irregular Migration

“…On the other hand, the personal feelings, attitudes and identity negotiations that irregular migrants develop in relation to their status have been investigated Fernández-Esquer, Agoff, & Leal, 2017;Willen, 2007). Engbersen has argued that the illegal status is a master status, "a dominant social characteristic overshadowing all other personal characteristics" (Engbersen, 2001, p. 240).…”