Alba the Undocumented: Immigration Law and Citizenship Excess in Jane the Virgin

Abstract

The CW’s Jane the Virgin (2014–2019; JTV) is a critically acclaimed, 100-episode US broadcast network television program that featured Latina characters and actors. The series was broadcast through two presidential administrations, Obama and Trump, which marked seemingly different approaches to immigration policy and enforcement. Although other shows have featured undocumented characters, such as Ugly Betty (2006–2010) and the remake One Day At A Time (2017–2019) among others, none (other than JTV) have illustrated the three juridical status changes required to complete an undocumented immigrant’s journey to naturalized citizenship. This article addresses three key moments in Alba Villanueva’s journey to citizenship via a critical textual analysis of select episodes across five seasons through Hector Amaya’s theory of citizenship excess. Alba’s journey to citizenship becomes public pedagogy for understanding the role of immigration law in society. With its push for #IMMIGRATIONREFORM, JTV also draws on the “marriage-for-a-green card” trope through Alba’s marriage to an undocumented Mexican immigrant to subvert and repurpose film and television’s use of this stereotype. This same narrative illustrates Alba’s internalization of the trappings of citizenship including how citizenship excess always distinguishes between citizens and non-citizens to justify legalized inequality.