Family Legal Vulnerability - by Laura E Enriquez & Cecilia Ayón & Jennifer R Nájera & Annie Ro & Zulema Valdez

Book Synopsis

How college students in mixed-status families are affected by immigration policies

Focusing on Latinx students attending the University of California, Family Legal Vulnerability exposes how their educational experiences and social mobility are shaped not only by their own immigration status, but also by their family members' undocumented immigration status. The authors introduce the concept of "family legal vulnerability" as a novel framework that captures how undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families collectively experience deportability, economic insecurity, discrimination, social exclusion, and legal uncertainty.

The authors show how the adverse effects of family legal vulnerability are similar for both college students who are undocumented and U.S. citizens with undocumented parents. Cascading consequences emerge among immigration-impacted students as family legal vulnerability compromises their mental and emotional health, academic success, and political engagement.

The book also illustrates how students demonstrate agency as they negotiate family legal vulnerability, seeking out ways to bolster their individual and collective flourishing. Ultimately, this book calls on scholars, policy makers, and university administrators to account for family legal vulnerability when considering how immigration policies undermine students' college experiences and to identify actionable practices to advance greater equity and inclusion.

Review Quotes

"In this unprecedented moment, where undocumented families are being torn apart and living in constant fear, Family Legal Vulnerability offers an inside look at the challenges families face while attempting to be involved and meaningfully engaged in the lives of their adult children. This book conveys these families' strong bonds and tenacity beautifully, demonstrating the heartfelt struggles of students that participated in this impressive study. The authors also offer a blueprint for college campuses on how to better provide real time services for a student population with tremendous potential. A must read for student service leaders, staff and faculty alike, Family Legal Vulnerability will heighten the level of empathy needed to integrate and serve undocumented and marginalized students in a time when they are actively being targeted and villainized"-- "Frances Contreras, co-author of Achieving Equity for Latino Students, Expanding the Pathway to Higher Education through Public Policy and The Latino Education Crisis"

"Pairing high quality survey and interview data, Family Legal Vulnerability details the extent to which college students in California have been impacted by their own immigration status irregularities or those of their family members. At this time of increasing immigration enforcement nationwide, this book proves with social science precision just how important university programming that is sensitive to, and supportive of, students' family circumstances is for empowering students and for limiting the cascading consequences of family legal vulnerability."-- "Joanna Dreby, author of Surviving the ICE Age: Children of Immigrants in New York"

"Family Legal Vulnerability abounds with meticulously researched insights that illuminate the far-reaching impacts of relatives' precarious immigration statuses on college students in immigrant families. A significant contribution to scholarship that will inspire scholars, policymakers, and pundits to reflect and act critically on the intersections of immigration law, family dynamics, and commitments of the heart. It should be read widely!"-- "Cecilia Menjívar, co-author of Immigrant Families"

About the Author

Laura E. Enriquez (Author)
Laura E. Enriquez is Associate Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Liberation, Anti-racism, and Belonging (C-LAB) at The University of California, Irvine. She is the author of the award-winning book, Of Love and Papers: How Immigration Policy Affects Romance and Family.

Cecilia Ayón (Author)
Cecilia Ayón is Professor at the School of Public Policy at The University of California, Riverside.

Jennifer R. Nájera (Author)
Jennifer R. Nájera is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at The University of California, Riverside. She is the author of The Borderlands of Race: Mexican Segregation in a South Texas Town.

Annie Ro (Author)
Annie Ro is Associate Professor at The University of California, Irvine Program in Public Health.

Zulema Valdez (Author)
Zulema Valdez is Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE) at The University of California, Merced. She is the author of The New Entrepreneurs: How Race, Class, and Gender Shape American Enterprise.