RESEARCH
Migration, race, and the lingering effects of state power.
RESEARCH AGENDA
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.
MIGRATION • LAW • RACIALIZATION • STATE POWER
PUBLICATIONS
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JOURNAL ARTICLE
Robles • Journal of Ethic and Migration Studies 51(9): 2203–2221.
Based on 20 interviews with formerly undocumented/DACA immigrants, I argue that transitioning through statuses leaves behind remnants of illegality—lingering effects of previous legal designations that continue to impact a person even after they are no longer in that status.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Robles & Thacker Thomas • Critical Sociology 50(7-8): 1223–1239.
We draw on twenty interviews to examine how Mexican immigrants form place attachments to La Calle Cuatro, an ethnic enclave in California. We reveal paradoxical and recursive outcomes that produce belonging within the enclave alongside broader experiences of alienation.
BOOK CHAPTER IN EDITED VOLUME
Vega & Robles • De Gruyter Handbook of Political Control, Chapter 3.
This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of US immigration enforcement as a form of repression targeting Latinx immigrant communities.
BOOK REVIEW
Robles • Journal of Developmental Studies 1–3.
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.
PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY
Robles • Border Criminologies, Oxford University Faculty of Law Blog
I underscore how immigrants and immigration agents manage their affective states amidst high-stakes encounters, revealing moments of humanity and emotional conflict within an impersonal and rigid bureaucratic structure.