Undocuartivism: Latino Undocumented Immigrant Empowerment through Art and Activism

Contrary to the mainstream depiction of undocumented immigrants in the US, undocumented immigrant young adult activists (undocuactivists) have been reimagining and redefining illegality using art and activism (undocuartivism). Illegality is theorized as a legal, racial, and spatial condition attributed to marginalized communities, including undocumented immigrants. For instance, illegality is legitimized through immigration law and its enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, while particularly targeting undocumented racial/ethnic minorities. At the same time, visual representations of undocumented immigrants as “illegals,” criminals, and invaders continue to exist within the dominant society. Consequently, undocumented immigrants have deeply suffered from anti-immigrant public discourse and draconian policies that seek to enhance border enforcement and interior policing. Yet, undocuactivists and undocuartivists are participating in the immigrant rights movement while accounting for intersectionality as a way to resist their ascribed social position and fight for social change. In an effort to explore the intersection of power, identity, resistance, activism, and empowerment, this article uses a visual studies approach to contextualize the ways in which protest art provides a counternarrative of undocumented immigrants living in the US. In particular, this article draws from in-depth interviews, fieldwork, social media, and the work of undocuqueer artivist Julio Salgado. Ultimately, this article illustrates the ways in which Latino undocuartivism is playing an essential role in dispelling myths of undocumented immigrants while also providing spaces of resistance and empowerment for undocumented immigrants.