Listening in the margins: methodological and ethical considerations for studying undocumented youth and young adults

This article builds on scholarship in the social sciences, ethnic and feminist studies, and education to examine methodological innovations and ethical considerations for conducting research with immigrant populations. Specifically, it focuses on those who received protections through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the 2012 program implemented by President Barack Obama providing young immigrants relief from deportation, work permits, and access to higher education. The article is organized around three central methods: (1) interviews, which provide rich insights into young immigrants' lived experiences; (2) testimonios , which document immigrants' experiences in their own voices and call for collective forms of resistance; and (3) participant observation, which reveals the everyday negotiation of illegality and belonging. Across each section, I address the ethical considerations involved when studying marginalized immigrant populations and draw connections to my own research on DACA recipients living in Colorado. The paper concludes with a discussion of how qualitative research can be understood not only as knowledge production but also as a potential site of empowerment and resistance for undocumented immigrants to document injustice, contest their erasure, and challenge anti-immigrant discourses.