Undocumented vs. Illegal: A Distinction Without a Difference

by Yasmin Nair

Since 2009, “Undocumented and Unafraid” has been the mantra of the undocumented student movement.2 Undocumented student activists initiated a now widespread campaign to “Drop the “I” [as in illegal] word”, supported by some media outlets and think tanks but rejected by others. At this point in time, the undocumented student movement is the most visible and arguably the most powerful immigrant group, having grown from a grassroots effort to a sophisticated political lobby with slick media messaging and a professionalised workforce. So many of these undocumented youth activists identify as queer that theirs is now referred to as the “undocuqueer” movement; they use the rhetoric of coming out as queer and “coming out of the shadows” to emphasise that they are “undocumented and unafraid.” Because the presence of queer activists is so pronounced, this essay will use the terms “undocuqueer” and “undocumented” interchangeably.

As a result of this combination of identity politics and what looks like a left-progressive agenda on immigration, the undocuqueer movement has become one of the darlings of progressives, with think tanks like the Applied Research Center taking on its cause and adopting it as one of their own.

9 pages, Unknown Binding

Published December 10, 2012