A Matter of Time: The Life Course Implications of Deferred Action for Undocumented Latin American Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

Scholars have long demonstrated that the state monopolizes time and imposes waiting, with disproportional impacts for marginalized groups relative to other political subjects. Extending this literature with a life course framework, we analyze how receipt of legal relief in different periods of life shapes the impacts of policy provisions. We draw on the case of undocumented Latin American immigrants targeted by executive immigration actions (DACA and DAPA), designed to extend temporary access to employment, protection from deportation, and the ability to exit and legally re-enter the United States. Through a comparative analysis of interviews (N = 82) across three age cohorts—coming of age, young adult, and middle age—we find the impact of these state-extended benefits differentially concentrates in the domains of schooling, employment, and family. The paper contributes an analysis of state power through a life course framework, deepening understanding of undocumented immigrants’ experiences of state-controlled time, waiting, and “illegality.”