“Racism is stronger than both of our papers”: formerly undocumented Latino immigrants’ emergent shared racial status with Black Americans

Extant research presumes Latino immigrant and Black American relations to be competitive and conflictual, with Latino immigrants’ undocumented status contributing to such dynamics. Drawing on interviews and observations with currently and formerly undocumented Latino immigrants across the Los Angeles and Atlanta areas, I find obtaining permanent residency positively shifts Latino immigrants’ attitudes towards, and perceptions of, Black Americans. I outline this finding as a function of two post-legalization mechanisms: changes in intergroup contact quality and a shared sense of discrimination. By enabling formerly undocumented immigrants to envision a more permanent life for themselves and enhancing their access and comfort with institutional resources, permanent residency facilitated expanded spatial mobility, social engagement, and entry into new spaces. This increased contact quality with Black Americans, accumulating observations and experiences that challenged negative perceptions. Further, as formerly undocumented immigrants increased their engagement in society, their exposure to assumptions or suspicions of being undocumented and denial of social or economic recognition also increased. Confronting this reality shifted the primary lens through which they understood their position and experiences in the United States from legal status to ethnoracial consciousness. These findings highlight legalization as a critical mechanism for ethnoracial consciousness.