Legal–Spatial Consciousness

Here we advance the concept of legal–spatial consciousness—an individual's awareness of how law and space are mutually formed and influential on their lives. Through this concept, we explore how undocumented youth in a variety of American destinations understand and experience migrant illegality. By examining how immigration law and local places are imbricated, we demonstrate how immigrant illegality is defined not only by a patchwork of municipal, state, and federal laws, but also by how undocumented people move through these differently legal spaces in their everyday lives. Illegality is thus continually reproduced through individuals’ im/mobility through space

Consciousness · Criminology · Destinations · Immigration · Legal consciousness · Political science · Sociology · State (computer science · Tourism · Variety (cybernetics · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Psychology · Sex work and related issues

• Home as temporary unless owned

  Open Access•Rijina Bajracharya, Ana Aceska et al.•Urban Geography•2026

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• A Call for New Frameworks to Capture Latinx Immigrant Young Adults’ Racialized Educational Experiences in the United States

  Open Access•Sylvia Rodríguez, Carolina Valdivia•Review of Educational Research•2025

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• Nested contexts of reception

  Nicole Pérez•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2021

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• A people’s map of the San Diego/Tijuana border

  Diego Avalos•Mobilities•2026

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• The Gendered Effects of Multilayered Immigration Enforcement

  Open Access•Jessica Garrick, Andrew Schrank•Journal on Migration and Human…•2023

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• Legal consciousness and migration

  Open Access•Ayse Güdük, Ellen Desmet•International Journal of Law in…•2022

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• Temporalising barriers

  Open Access•Paloma E Villegas•Population Space and Place•2021

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• Legal geographies of irregular migration

  Open Access•Jukka Könönen•Population Space and Place•2020

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• Relative, Relational, and Affective

  Open Access•Gulseren Kozak-Isik•Social & Legal Studies•2025

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• From the Street to the Courtroom

  Open Access•IGNACIO RIQUELME ESPINOSA, Isidora Urrutia Steinert•Social & Legal Studies•2025

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• Refugee Illegality

  Open Access•Mert Pekşen•Journal of Refugee Studies•2023

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• Disclosure and the Evolving Legal Consciousness of Sexual and Gender Minority Central American Unaccompanied Minors

  Open Access•Luis Edward Tenorio•Law & Social Inquiry•2024

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• Adminigration

  Open Access•B Coutin, Susan Bibler Coutin et al.•Law & Social Inquiry•2023

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• The Spatial Mobility Trap? How Urban Contexts Shape the Spatial Mobility of Male Undocumented Youths

  Open Access•Stephen P Ruszczyk•Sociological Forum•2022

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• Spatial injustice in the context of cemeteries

  Open Access•Victor Imanuel W Nalle, Tristam Pascal Moeliono•Land Use Policy•2023

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• Postsecondary Education Access (Im)Possibilities for Undocu/Dacamented Youth Living With the Potential Elimination of Daca

  H Kenny Nienhusser, Toko Oshio•Educational Studies•2020

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• Manoeuvering through the multilayered jurisdictional policy patchwork

  C M Getrich, Ana Ortez-Rivera et al.•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2022

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• They Think I'm a Lawyer

  Open Access•Delgado, Vanessa Delgado•Law & Policy•2020

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• Making noncitizens' rights real

  Open Access•Juan Manuel Pedroza•Law & Policy•2022

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• Migrant Illegality across Uneven Legal Geographies

  Open Access•Edelina M Burciaga, Lisa M Martinez et al.•Law & Policy•2019

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• Undocumented consciousness

  Open Access•Gabriela Gonzalez•Law & Policy•2023

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• Street‐level immigrant policy implementation

  Open Access•Fanny Lauby, Kelly Ro et al.•Law & Policy•2022

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• Forced migration and legal-spatial violence in the United States and Germany

  Open Access•René Kreichauf•Political Geography•2021

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• Deconstructing racial code words

  Open Access•Deirdre Pfeiffer, Xiaoqian Hu•Law & Society Review•2024

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• All my friends here are ghosts

  Cynthia S Gorman•Social & Cultural Geography•2025

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• Infrastructures of Overlordship

  D Asher Ghertner•Annals of the American…•2023

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• Transportation and immigrant political incorporation

  Fanny Lauby•New Community•2021

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• Intersectional recognition

  Sarah Bruhn•New Community•2023

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• Mobile sanctuary

  Melissa Guzman Garcia•New Community•2021

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• Liminal Belonging in El Nuevo South

  Open Access•Maria Andrea Escobar•Rural Sociology•2021

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• How public benefits make citizens in Latino mixed-status families

  Open Access•Luis Edward Tenorio•Social Forces•2025

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• The Expanding Spaces of Law

  Alexandre Kedar, I Braverman et al.•The Expanding Spaces of Law•2014

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• The Common Place of Law

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• Protect, Serve, and Deport

  Open Access•Amada Armenta•Protect, Serve, and Deport•2017

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• New Destination Dreaming

  Helen B Marrow, Helen Marrow•New Destination Dreaming•2011

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• Scratching Out a Living

  Angela Stuesse•Scratching Out a Living•2016

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• Policing Immigrants

  Doris Marie Provine, Monica W Varsanyi et al.•Policing Immigrants•2016

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• The Discovery of Grounded Theory

  Barney G Glaser, Anselm L Strauss•Discovery of Grounded Theory•2017

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• How To Do Things With Words

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• Qualitative Data Analysis in Health Psychology

  Toby Ro Newton-John, Toby Newton‐john•Qualitative Data Analysis in…•2018

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• Ethnography in/of the World System

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• Latino Heartland

  Sujey Vega•Latino Heartland•2016

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• The New Immigration Federalism

  Open Access•Pratheepan Gulasekaram, Karthick Ramakrishnan et al.•New Immigration Federalism•2015

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• Racial Propositions

  Daniel Martinez Hosang, Daniel Hosang•Racial Propositions•2019

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• Immigrant America

  A Portes, Rubén G Rumbaut et al.•Immigrant America•2006

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• Legal Status and Educational Transitions for Mexican and Central American Immigrant Youth

  Emily Greenman, Matthew Hall•Social Forces•2013

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• Impossible Subjects

  Lucy E Salyer, Lucy Salyer•Labor Studies in Working-Class…•2005

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• I Can’t Go to College Because I Don’t Have Papers”

  Open Access•Leisy J Abrego•Latino Studies•2006

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• Legal geography II

  Open Access•David Delaney•Progress in Human Geography•2015

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• Legal geography I

  Open Access•David Delaney•Progress in Human Geography•2014

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• Cities of Refuge

  Jennifer Ridgley•Urban Geography•2008

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• Immigrant “Illegality” as Neoliberal Governmentality in Leadville, Colorado

  Open Access•Nancy Hiemstra•Antipode•2010

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• When Do Papers Matter? An Institutional Analysis of Undocumented Life in the United States

  Open Access•Shannon Gleeson, Roberto G Gonzales•International Migration•2012

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• The Condition of Illegality

  Open Access•L R Chavez•International Migration•2007

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• Migration

  Richard A Wright, Richard Wright•Annals of the Association of…•2014

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• Under the Radar”

  Patricia Ehrkamp, Caroline Nagel•Annals of the Association of…•2014

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• The Tactics of Asylum and Irregular Migrant Support Groups

  Nick Gill, D Conlon et al.•Annals of the Association of…•2014

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• Unintended Return

  Open Access•Marie Price, Derek Breese•Annals of the American…•2016

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• Latin@ Immobilities and Altermobilities Within the U.S. Deportability Regime

  Marta María Maldonado, Adela C Licona et al.•Annals of the American…•2016

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• Navigating Daca in Hospitable and Hostile States

  Open Access•Kara Cebulko, Alexis M Silver et al.•American Behavioral Scientist•2016

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• A second generation of immigrant illegality studies

  Stephen P Ruszczyk, Guillermo Yrizar Barbosa•Migration Studies•2016

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• How Do Political Contexts Shape Undocumented Youth Movements? Evidence From Three Immigrant Destinations

  Edelina M Burciaga, Lisa M Martinez•Mobilization An International…•2017

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• Segmented pathways of illegality

  Open Access•Roberto G Gonzales, Edelina M Burciaga•Ethnicities•2018

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• Scaled Down

  Open Access•Doris Marie Provine, Monica W Varsanyi•Law & Policy•2012

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• From Sheriff's Deputies to Immigration Officers

  Open Access•Amada Armenta•Law & Policy•2012

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• "Toward a Critical Phenomenology of "Illegality

  Open Access•Willen, Sarah S Willen•International Migration•2007

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• "The Legal Production of Mexican/Migrant "Illegality

  Open Access•N De Genova•Latino Studies•2004

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• Becoming Less Illegal

  Open Access•Chauvin, Sébastien Chauvin et al.•Sociology Compass•2014

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• Gendering Illegality

  Open Access•L E Enriquez•American Behavioral Scientist•2017

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• After Legal Consciousness

  Susan S Silbey•Annual Review of Law and Social…•2005

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• Learning to Be Illegal

  Open Access•Roberto G Gonzales•American Sociological Review•2011

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• Legal Consciousness of Undocumented Latinos

  Open Access•Leisy J Abrego•Law & Society Review•2011

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• Geographies of Mobility

  Mei-Po Kwan, Tim Schwanen•Annals of the American…•2016

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• Police Arrests in a Time of Uncertainty

  Open Access•Katharine M Donato, Leslie Ann Rodríguez•American Behavioral Scientist•2014

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• "Racializing "Illegality

  Open Access•San Juanita García•Sociology of Race and Ethnicity•2017

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• Racial Profiling and Immigration Law Enforcement

  Open Access•Mary Romero•Critical Sociology•2006

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• Migrant "Illegality" and Deportability in Everyday Life

  N De Genova, Nicholas P De Genova•Annual Review of Anthropology•2002

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• Automobility, Immobility, Altermobility

  Open Access•Angela Stuesse, M Coleman•City & Society•2014

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• Between Public Service and Social Control

  Amada Armenta•Social Problems•2016

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• The New Immigration Contestation

  Justin Steil, Justin Peter Steil et al.•American Journal of Sociology•2014

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• Legal Violence

  Cecilia Menjívar, Leisy J Abrego•American Journal of Sociology•2012

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• Spectacles of migrant 'illegality

  N De Genova•Ethnic and Racial Studies•2013

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