In their 2012 paper "Legal Violence: Immigration Law and the Lives of Central American Immigrants," Cecilia Menjivar and Leisy J. Abrego examine how U.S. immigration laws and policies create a form of "legal violence" that impacts the lives of Central American immigrants. Here are the key points from their study:
1. **Definition of Legal Violence**: The authors define legal violence as the harmful effects of legal frameworks and processes that,