Is Dora the Explorer an Illegal Immigrant?

Many of the Dora images assume the Latina character is an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

Several websites have narrated Dora’s mock capture by immigration authorities. One picture circulating on Facebook shows an ad for a TV show called “Dora the Illegal Immigrant.” On the Facebook page “Dora the Explorer is soo an Illegal Immigrant,” there are several images showing her sailing through the air over the U.S.-Mexican border.

“She’s always been ambiguously constructed,” said Angharad Valdivia, who teaches media studies at the University of Illinois and has explored the issue. “In the U.S. the way we understand race is about putting people in categories and we’re uncomfortable with people we can’t put into categories.”

Representatives from Nickelodeon declined to comment on Dora’s background, and her place of birth or citizenship have never been clear. She has brown skin, dark hair and speaks Spanish with an American accent.

Dora lives in an unidentified location with pyramids that suggest Mexico, but also tropical elements such as palm trees and her friends, Isa the iguana and Boots the monkey.
Arizona’s immigration law requires police to ask a person about their immigration status if there’s “reasonable suspicion” the person is in the country illegally.