Drawing on research spanning ten years in three immigrant destinations—Los Angeles, Denver, and Atlanta—we address the question, “How do political contexts shape undocumented youth movements?” To do so, we bring into dialogue social movements and immigration scholarship by providing a framework for understanding undocumented youth activism. Building on political opportunity theory in social movements and segmented assimilation theory in migration studies, we advance the notion of localized political contexts: contexts of varying levels of antagonism and accommodation toward immigrants, which shape the emergence and character of undocumented youth movements. We argue that variegated political, legal, and discursive landscapes shape undocumented activism in three ways: (1) the claims that are made; (2) the targets for these claims; and (3) the strategies and tactics the movement adopts. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of undocumented youth movements given the increasingly hostile political context unfolding at the national level.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provides qualifying undocumented immigrant youth with significant benefits. These benefits exist in a state of tension because they are temporary, making the status of DACA recipients precarious. In this article we draw on survey and interview data collected with DACA recipients in Colorado, along with community stakeholder interviews and observations to examine the liminally legal experience of recipients, both before and after Donald Trump’s announced intention to terminate the program. Focusing on their experiences of precarity across educational, economic, and emotional spheres, we document the negative and lasting consequences that the loss of DACA status would have for them. Given the rapidly shifting legal context of the DACA program, we argue that liminal legality varies in intensity based on political context and place. While undocumented young adults are acutely aware of the uncertainty of this moment, we also show how they are demonstrating resilience in the face of increasingly harmful immigration policies. The liminal legality of DACA status, which has worsened in the recent political context, underscores the urgent need for a permanent legislative solution.

The ability to control one’s reproductive life, or the right to self-determination, is a cornerstone of reproductive justice. Yet, the decision about whether and when to have a child is profoundly shaped by structural inequities, including reproductive health and immigration policy. Drawing from longitudinal interview and survey data with undocumented 1.5 DACA recipients and second-generation Latinas across two state contexts (Colorado and Arizona), this paper highlights three methodological innovations in undocumented migration studies. First, we discuss the value of examining the intersection of two key policy areas—reproductive health and immigration policy—for shaping the reproductive aspirations of Latinas. Second, we discuss the use of longitudinal qualitative interviews and weekly surveys to capture the vital changes in participants’ lives over one year. Finally, we reflect on collecting data of this nature in an increasingly hostile national context in the United States for both reproductive health and immigration policy.