Under the Feet of Jesus

by

Helena María Viramontes

Spanish slang for the border patrol. Petra frequently worries that La Migra will deport her children, even though they were born in America, and Estrella once runs from a police car that she encounters on her way home from work.

La Migra Quotes in Under the Feet of Jesus

The Under the Feet of Jesus quotes below are all either spoken by La Migra or refer to La Migra. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Value of Labor Theme Icon
).
Chapter Two Quotes

Don’t run scared. You stay there and look them in the eye. Don’t let them make you feel you did a crime for picking the vegetables they’ll be eating for dinner. If they stop you, if they try to pull you into the green vans, you tell them the birth certificates are under the feet of Jesus, just tell them.

Related Characters: Petra (speaker), Estrella
Related Symbols: Jesucristo and the Documents
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:
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Under the Feet of Jesus PDF

La Migra Term Timeline in Under the Feet of Jesus

The timeline below shows where the term La Migra appears in Under the Feet of Jesus. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Two
Motherhood Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
...a pry bar, and says she’s “gonna teach someone a lesson.” Patiently, Petra says that La Migra is targeting everyone these days. She’s in the midst of bathing Cookie and Perla, who... (full context)
The Value of Labor Theme Icon
Race and Marginalization Theme Icon
Consumerism and Environmental Destruction Theme Icon
Petra advises Estrella not to let the threat posed by La Migra affect her. She shouldn’t be ashamed of “picking the vegetables they’ll be eating for dinner,”... (full context)