This paper studies how self-proclaimed shadow/undocumented Americans redefine citizenship. The “shadow American”/“undocumented American” are figures which emerged in the US immigrant rights movement. Despite lacking formal citizenship, shadow and undocumented Americans claim Americanness. In the words of J.S. Vargas, founder of project Define American, “I’m an American. I just don’t have the right papers.” Undocumented immigrants like Vargas unhinge Americanness from formal belonging, thereby offering a broader and more inclusive vision of the US. This is bold and subversive, yet it begs a number of questions: Who is American, irrespective of citizenship status, and who is not? How is Americanness enacted/achieved in the absence of formal citizenship? Addressing these questions, I draw from autobiographical works by undocumented immigrants, including Congressional and online testimonies, newspaper stories, and memoirs. These works reconceive citizenship whilst relying on/reinforcing older notions of race, civic deservingness, and politics to justify inclusion in the polity.
