Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic participant observation, Illegality in the Heartland interrogates existing understandings of illegality and Latinidad by centering the voices and experiences of Indigenous and mestizo Latino immigrants in the American heartland during the first Trump administration, a distinct era of political uncertainty. Immigration policies and political narratives have long tied those suspected of being "illegal" to perceptions of Mexican origin and stereotypes associated with Hispanics more broadly. Likewise, Latin American immigrants in the United States have been positioned as a single group, thereby collapsing ethnoracial distinctions under the umbrella identities of Hispanic, Latina/o, or Latinx/e. Andrea Gómez Cervantes examines these ethnoracial divides among Latino immigrants as they seek to navigate life and make Kansas their home while undocumented. This work shines a crucial light on how immigration laws, racialization, and gender mechanisms intersect in spaces where immigrants are not yet an established part of the public imaginary—even as they make essential contributions to their communities and mobilize as increasingly influential constituents in their own right.
Andrea Gómez Cervantes is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Wake Forest University.
"Illegality in the Heartland brilliantly breaks new ethnographic and theoretical ground. With humanity and subtlety, Andrea Gómez Cervantes skillfully weaves the lived experiences of Indigenous and mestizo Latin American immigrants with the structural trends and social dynamics of the US heartland. Insightful, original, and urgent, the book offers clarity on hierarchies of power, the complexities of today's immigration regime, and inherent injustices. Highly recommended to a wide readership!"—Cecilia Menjívar, Dorothy L. Meier Chair in Social Equities and Professor of Sociology, UCLA, and former president of the American Sociological Association
"A tour de force capturing the dynamics of immigration! Gómez Cervantes intimately illustrates how inequalities rooted in colonization back home in Latin America are recreated in the US heartland to shape the lives and opportunities of Indigenous and mestizo immigrants and their children. A must-read!"—Rogelio Sáenz, author of Latina/os in the United States: Diversity and Change
"Using rich ethnographic data, Gómez-Cervantes unpacks what life is like for Indigenous and mestizo Latino/a immigrants, providing insightful analysis of how legacies of colonialism are maintained by race and gender inequalities that shape the many facets of immigrant incorporation. Her writing humanizes immigrants, facilitating a deep understanding of their everyday lives and exposing the many ways in which incorporation processes differ between Indigenous and mestizo Latinos/as."—Elizabeth Aranda, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Immigrant Well-Being Research Center, University of South Florida
"Illegality in the Heartland makes a significant and timely contribution to the scholarship on immigrant integration. With remarkable depth and clarity, Gómez Cervantes delivers a powerful and nuanced analysis of the distinct experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous undocumented immigrants in the US heartland. Drawing on a critical Latinx Indigeneity framework, she highlights how cultural capital, racialized social networks, and enduring ethnoracial hierarchies shape access to resources and opportunities to navigate immigration laws. Her work exposes the structural inequalities that uniquely disadvantage Indigenous immigrants as they build their lives under conditions of legal precarity."—Nilda Flores-González, John O. Whiteman Dean's Distinguished Professor, Arizona State University
330 pp.6 x 9Illus: 2 b/w illustrations
9780520393899$29.95|£25.00Paper
Dec 2025