Research

I'm interested in queer migration as an emerging phenomenon.

My state-of-the-field review article provides a survey of queer migration studies.

I am developing a book—tentatively titled Queer for the State: How Queer Immigrant Families Become Legitimate Under the Law—that chronicles how queer binational couples navigate the "straight state."

I also have articles under review in this line of work.

I examine the role of attorneys who advise immigrant families in pursuit of legal status.

My recent article shows that lawyers resemble counselors who shape intimate dimensions of their clients' lives towards legitimacy. Lawyers become indirect agents of the state.

I am also developing additional articles exploring how lawyers engage in fraud detection and draw on racialized stereotypes when working with immigrant families.

With Ben Rissing, I explore how the adjudication of family reunification petitions change over time and for different groups.

We have placed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for administrative data on family-based green card petitions. We will explore disparities in petition approval and denial rates by race, nation of origin, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.

I was involved in the Supreme Court case since the case began in 2014. I was represented by NAACP LDF as part of alumni amici. I also led the policy advocacy efforts by Asian American civil rights groups in relation to the Supreme Court decision in 2023.

I contributed to the landmark 2023 report by NAACP LDF, Lawyers' Committee, Advancing Justice | AAJC, ACLU, LatinoJustice, and AALDEF on affirmative action in higher education after the SFFA decision.

With Janelle Wong, I am studying how race-neutral and -censorship admissions policies become implemented and affect applicant evaluations.