Living out the Illegality: Strategies of Undocumented Migrants in an Immigrant-Enclave of South Korea

• In Event: 3251 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 4. Civic Incorporation and Belonging

Abstract

This paper aims to answer the following question: How do undocumented immigrants strategically react to the illegality forced on them and live out their illegality in their everyday lives? Through the field observation and in-depth interviews, the case of an immigrant-enclave in South Korea, the immigration destination country in East Asia which has been attracting temporary migrant workers and marriage migrants, as well as asylum seekers since the 1990s is examined. While the specific immigrant institutions regarding the visa type of immigrants shape the specific form of immigrant illegality, the local context of immigrant-enclave together with the experience of these undocumented migrants enable them to adopt different strategies. They negotiate at work with their utility as exploitable yet flexible labor, carefully decide to reveal or conceal their undocumented status, while engaging with both home and receiving countries to prepare for the sudden deportation. This shows that forces shaping the immigrant illegality are not only oppressing these undocumented immigrants but also producing the strategic responses of these agents.

Author

• Dasom Lee, University of California San Diego