Unauthorized - by Marisol Clark-Ibáñez & Richelle S Swan (Hardcover)

About the Book

Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants takes readers inside the diverse contemporary worlds of undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States, exploring the myths and realities of education, health care, work, deportation, and more. This book aims to dispel common m...

Book Synopsis

Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants takes readers inside the diverse contemporary worlds of undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States, exploring the myths and realities of education, health care, work, deportation, and more. This book aims to dispel common misconceptions while introducing readers to real people behind the headlines.

Review Quotes

An essential, illuminating, well-researched text. Clark-Ibáñez and Swan blend secondary data sources with narratives and testimonies to counter the prevalent misinformation about undocumented migration. This book is an intervention, a clarification, and an educational tool. My students often ask me for reliable resources to expand their understanding and to equip them with knowledge to talk to their families, friends, and coworkers about undocumented migration. This is the book I will point them to.

Marisol Clark-Ibáñez and Richelle S. Swan have written an important book for our time. In the midst of current U.S. anti-immigrant discourse and policies, they regenerate the discussion on immigration through the lens of social justice. In doing so, they ardently work to shatter myths that criminalize undocumented immigrants and deny them the most basic resources. Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants is indeed an accessible book we can all learn from and use to advocate for human rights.

Through this important work, Clark-Ibáñez and Swan, chapter by chapter, dispel the many fallacies promoted by current politics and media about Latinx undocumented people in the U.S. The authors' socio-historical lens is also helpful in unpacking why the dominant media and political narratives around Latinx immigrants are so pervasive, as well as how current U.S. policies around immigration create more problems than they solve. This book should be essential reading for anyone working with Latinx undocumented immigrants but it will be particularly informative for staff and faculty in Hispanic Serving Institutions who first need to have substantive and accurate conversations about these students in order to design more relevant and effective support systems.

Unauthorized is a necessary addition to the growing literature on undocumented immigrants. Marisol Clark-Ibáñez and Richelle S. Swan must be commended for this myth-busting work that provides new insights and perspectives. Clark-Ibáñez and Swan explore the challenges undocumented immigrants face and we can alleviate their pain from a human rights perspective. Unauthorized is a rigorously researched work that will not only change the way we debate about undocumented immigrant but also think about them. It is a must-read for American immigration policymakers.

Unauthorized makes a timely and critical contribution to public understanding about the lives of undocumented immigrants. By combining existing research on immigration, accessible prose, and personal stories, it addresses many longstanding myths about undocumented immigration.

Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants could not come at a more timely moment. This book provides a detailed portrait of undocumented Latinx immigrants in the United States, carefully and critically dispelling common myths with facts and real stories. Unauthorized is essential reading for educators, students, members of the media, and policymakers.

Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants is an engaging, accessible, and myth-busting book filled with relevant literature, personal testimonies, art, and media. Woven throughout are powerful examples of activism and concrete strategies for change. Unauthorized should be required reading-- especially for educators, health practitioners, and policy makers.

Undocumented immigrants confront a myriad of challenges while carrying out their daily lives in America. California State University sociology professors Clark-Ibañez and Swan present a meticulously researched and rigorously annotated book for the general reader that focuses on "the inherent rights of all people to be treated with respect and dignity." They thoroughly explore the challenges faced by unauthorized immigrants in the areas of education, labor, health, law, and representation in the media. Each chapter is enlivened with real people's life stories and contains a wealth of resources for immigrants, community members, and advocates. Additionally, Clark-Ibañez and Swan carefully analyze the immigration situation in the U.S. within the global context of people on the move worldwide. Ending with a hopeful concluding chapter which emphasizes people's resiliency and generosity, the authors present recommendations that range from fantastical (open borders) to possible (comprehensive immigration reform) solutions for each arena of study. With its bounty of richly drawn context and bounty of relevant information and useful resources, this will be a welcome addition to all collections.

About the Author

Marisol Clark-Ibáñez is professor in the Department of Sociology at California State University San Marcos.She is the faculty director for the National Latino Research Center and the lead author of Undocumented Latino Youth.

Richelle Swan is professor in the Department of Sociology at California State University San Marcos. She is co-author of Juvenile Delinquency in a Diverse Society and co-editor of Through the Eye of Katrina: Social Justice in the United States.