The Queer Politics of Migration: Reflections on “Illegality ” and Incorrigibility

The most resounding—and indeed, for me, the most resplendent—expression of the truly unprecedented mobilizations of migrants throughout the United States in 2006 was a mass proclamation of collective defiance: ¡Aquí Estamos, y No Nos Vamos! [Here we are, and we’re not leaving!]. This same slogan was commonly accompanied by a still more forcefully incorrigible rejoinder: ¡Y Si Nos Sacan, Nos Regresamos! [ … and if they throw us out, we’ll come right back!]. The chant itself was not new; it has been a potent and enduring articulation of migrant struggles in the United States for many years