Legal Alien

Pat Mora is a distinguished author of poetry and nonfiction for adults, teens, and children that center on the experience and culture of Mexican Americans living on the border between America and Mexico. She is known as a regional writer because of her focus on the American Southwest, where she grew up and resides today.

“Legal Alien” was published in 1984, during a decade that saw an increasing interest and vitality in Mexican American literature. The poem comes from Mora’s first published collection of poetry, Chants, which introduces characters from various walks of life who are experiencing life on the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Chants was an influential collection that helped shape Chicana poetry in the 80s, winning the Southwest Book Award and the Best Book of Poetry from the El Paso Times.

“Legal Alien,” the final poem of Chants, exemplifies the struggle Mexican American people face in having others understand their dual identities.

Poet Biography

Pat Mora was born on January 19, 1942, in El Paso, Texas—a city that shares a border with Mexico and that is influenced by Mexican culture. Mora’s grandparents on both sides emigrated to El Paso during the Mexican Revolution to escape Pancho Villa’s violence. She grew up in a bilingual, multigenerational home with her parents, maternal grandmother, and aunt.