La Migra

“La Migra” is a kind of persona poem, a form of poem in which the speaker is a persona (a character) distinct from the poet. The text of such a poem represents that persona’s perspective and does not necessarily reflect the poet’s point of view. In its purest form, such a poem creates an individualized persona, a single character with idiosyncratic psychology and motivation. Mora’s poem, however, presents two more generalized personae who embody attitudes common to groups of people: Border Patrol agents and unauthorized migrants. Even though one side in this conflict is defined as an individual—a Mexican woman—she clearly represents all people of her ethnicity who must cross the United States border without permission.

Mora has a distinct interest in persona poems, especially ones that give voice to Chicana women. In an interview, Mora refers to one such poem called “Elena” and explains:

[My goal was] to adopt the voice, or hear the voice, of someone whose experience is very different from mine. And of course, I’ve had a particular interest in hearing the voice of a Mexican woman […] the voice of women of Mexican heritage in this country, particularly those whose voices have not been heard” (Torres, Hector A.