Abstracts Category : Other

Obtaining Legal Status in the United States: Undocumented Latinas Near Chicago and the Strategic Use of Mental Health

by Stephanie Kohl

Caught between abusive partners and restrictive immigration law, many undocumented Latina women are vulnerable to domestic violence in the United States. This thesis analyzes the U-Visa application process experienced by undocumented immigrant crime victims and their legal advisors in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. I focus on the strategic use of mental health by applicants for U-Visas related to domestic violence cases by investigating the complex intersection between immigration law and a humanitarian clause that creates a path towards legal status and eventual citizenship.|This research is based on participant observations at a nonprofit immigration legal services office, review of over 100 U-Visa applications between 2014-2016, 17 written personal statements, and 5 interviews with stakeholders in the community of Dupage County, Illinois. Using the Grounded Theory approach, I focus on how these women describe their mental health in written personal statements that are part of the U-Visa application. Drawing on theoretical concepts of structural violence and biological citizenship, this study reveals the strategic use of mental health in order to gain immigration benefits by undocumented female survivors of domestic violence.|Keywords: Immigration; Domestic Violence; Mental Health; U-Visa; Latina; Structural Violence; Biological CitizenshipAdvisors/Committee Members: Roedlach, Alexander (advisor).