Immigration documentation statuses evoke racialized faceism in mental representations

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Immigration Studies
• Visual Perception

Background:

• U.S. immigration discourse shapes perceptions of immigrants.
• Visual representations of migrant illegality are under-explored.
• Racialization and colorism influence public opinion on immigration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate visual mental representations of illegalized immigrants, documented immigrants, and native-born U.S. citizens.
• To determine how documentation status and legality influence these representations.
• To identify the role of race and perceived "Americanness" in these perceptions.

Main Methods:

• Two studies utilized face-based reverse correlation and similarity sorting with undergraduate and online samples (N=686).
• Participants' mental representations were captured and compared across different immigration statuses.
• A spatial arrangement task assessed spontaneous sorting of unlabeled faces by documentation status.

Main Results:

• Documentation status evoked distinct racialized imagery.
• Immigrant representations were consistently dark-skinned and perceived as non-white.
• Citizen representations were light-skinned, positively evaluated, and perceived as white.
• Documented immigrants were perceived as trustworthy, while illegalized immigrants were perceived as threatening.
• Spatial similarity of faces correlated with pixel luminance and "American" ratings, confirming racialized distinctions.
• Illegalized immigrants were uniquely racialized as dark-skinned, un-American threats.

Conclusions:

• Mental representations of illegalized immigrants are distinctly racialized as dark-skinned and un-American.
• U.S. imperialism and colorism contribute to the conditions shaping these perceptions.
• Findings highlight the intersection of race, legality, and threat perception in immigration discourse.