PUBLICATIONS
I am a sociologist of immigration, race/ethnicity, and law who researches and writes about how legal and racial categories shape the lived experiences of immigrants. Using qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and ethnography, my published work explores how illegality and racialization operates not only through laws and policies but also through everyday social interactions and relationships.
Please feel free to contact me if you are unable to access any of the journal articles or book chapters below.
Jozef Callan Robles | Incoming UC President’s Postdoc, UC San DiegoPeer Reviewed Journal Articles
Robles, Jozef C. 2025. “Remnants of Illegality: DACA, Legal Status, and Unlearning Illegality.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 51(9), 2203–2221. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2024.2393655
Drawing from interview with formerly undocumented/DACA immigrants, I argue that transitioning through statuses leaves behind what I call remnants of illegality – lingering effects of previous legal designations that continue to shape a person’s behavior and worldview even after the person is no longer in that status.Winner of the 2025 American Sociological Association’s Latino/a Sociology Section’s Cristina Maria Riegos Student Paper Award.
Robles, Jozef C., and Devon Thacker Thomas. 2023. “Placing Mexican Ethnic Enclaves: Toward a Recursive Model of Place Attachment.” Critical Sociology 50(7-8):1223-1239. https://doi.org/10.1177/08969205231216429
We draw on twenty interviews with Mexicans in the U.S. to examine how individuals form close connections to La Cuatro, an ethnic enclave in California. Despite the overall positive nature of their emotional connections within the enclave, our model uncovers paradoxical and recursive outcomes. While place attachment promotes a sense of belonging within La Cuatro, these emotional bonds are deeply tied to broader experiences of social alienation in areas outside the enclave. This alienation stems from three primary factors: (1) legal status or lack thereof, (2) racialization, and (3) pervasive anti-immigrant socio-political ethos. Book Chapters in Edited Volumes
Irene I. Vega, and Jozef C. Robles. 2026.“Migrants and Legal Controls.” In De Gruyter Handbook of Political Control, edited by J. Earl and J. Braithwaite. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111298559-011
We draw on twenty interviews with Mexicans in the U.S. to examine how individuals form close connections to La Cuatro, an ethnic enclave in California. Despite the overall positive nature of their emotional connections within the enclave, our model uncovers paradoxical and recursive outcomes. While place attachment promotes a sense of belonging within La Cuatro, these emotional bonds are deeply tied to broader experiences of social alienation in areas outside the enclave. This alienation stems from three primary factors: (1) legal status or lack thereof, (2) racialization, and (3) pervasive anti-immigrant socio-political ethos. Book Reviews
Robles, Jozef C. 2025. Review of: Green Card Soldier: Between Model Immigrant and Security Threat. By Sofya Aptekar. Journal of Developmental Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2025.2544385
The United States increasingly relies on immigrant labor to sustain its global military presence. Thousands of noncitizen immigrants serve in the American armed forces each year. These enlistees occupy a contradictory position: lauded as model immigrants for their patriotism and sacrifice yet simultaneously regarded as potential security threats. Sofya Aptekar’s Green Card Soldier argues that noncitizen enlistees, whom she terms ‘green card soldiers’, navigate a dual position: as strategic actors making choices under constraint, and as agents of an American imperial project that deploys foreign-born labor to sustain its global reach. Other Written Works
Robles, Jozef C. 2024. “Agents of Affect: The Emotional Interactions Between Immigrants and Immigration Agents.” University of Oxford, Border Criminologies. https://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-criminologies-blog/blog-post/2024/09/agents-affect-emotional-interactions-between-immigrants
I detail the emotional landscape navigated by both immigrants and immigration agents within the U.S. immigration system. Drawing from personal experiences during my status-adjustment journey, I highlight the profound emotional labor required by immigrants facing the system's uncertainties and by agents adhering to institutional norms of stoicism. Through anecdotes, I underscore how both groups manage their affective states amidst high-stakes encounters, revealing moments of humanity and emotional conflict within an impersonal and rigid bureaucratic structure. The narrative sheds light on the dual pressures faced by immigrants and agents, emphasizing the significant emotional regulation embedded in their interactions.