Faculty profile

My scholarship explores the way cultural discourses and institutions create, reproduce, and challenge racialized boundaries surrounding Latino/a/X immigrants. More specifically, I have focused on the institutional legitimacy surrounding privatized immigration detention, a monetized system of racial social control. I have also examined discourses associated with Latino/a/X immigrants that are perceived to be more neutral or even positive, arguing that many of these frames ultimately contribute to America's long standing racial hierarchy. Going forward, I am interested in understanding how actors within the private prison industry make sense of the work they do and the industry's contribution to society.