Trans Latina/o Immigrants Navigate Illegality

Produced through law and public discourse, “Illegality” marks Latina/o immigrants as criminals. Scholars have explored illegality as it shapes the lives of workers, students, and families, but have primarily focused on... [ view full abstract ]

Produced through law and public discourse, “Illegality” marks Latina/o immigrants as criminals. Scholars have explored illegality as it shapes the lives of workers, students, and families, but have primarily focused on heteronormative immigrant families. There is a substantial LGBT immigrant population, yet their presence in the literature remains invisible. My paper inserts the experiences of trans Latina/o migrants as they navigate life in the U.S. Through survey data and in-depth interviews with self-identified trans Latina/os collected together with Trans Latina Coalition, this paper will highlight how trans Latina/o migrants lives are shaped by illegality.