Young and Undocumented - by Julia Albarracín

Book Synopsis

The experiences of DACA recipients

The children of immigrants who arrive in the United States each year sometimes grow up without any knowledge of their undocumented status and the risks it poses. In this timely and important book, Julia Albarracín explores the lives of undocumented immigrant youth with a focus on the unique experiences of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and DREAMers in the United States.
Drawing on interviews and legal research, Albarracín shows us how the precarity surrounding the youth's DACA status impacts their sense of political identity and belonging, particularly as Republican politicians target legal protections provided to them under DACA and the DREAM Act. The author examines how changes in immigration policies expose undocumented youth to constant ups and downs, leaving them in a limbo between deportation and integration into society, and limiting their social, economic, and political opportunities for advancement.

Albarracín shows us how DREAMers confront--and fight to overcome--barriers in their lives. Young and Undocumented explores how undocumented youth in the United States navigate their identity in the only country they know as home, and how they come-of-age without a path to citizenship.

Review Quotes

"This book captures a critical part of the story of undocumented young people in this country. Albarracín's work reminds us that DACA was never enough and that the true inclusion of all undocumented people in this country should be our aim."-- "enevieve Negrón-Gonzales, author of We Are Not Dreamers: Undocumented Scholars Theorize Undocumented Life in the United States"

"Albarracín explores what she calls the 'roller coaster' of integration for DACA recipients in Illinois. Through a careful and poignant exploration of their stories, she shows how DACA recipients managed the complex emotions and material challenges they experienced as a result of DACA rescission and its aftermath. Centering the human aspect of this debate, Young and Undocumented expands our understanding of how legal status intersects with non-white and white DACA recipients' socio-emotional development and sense of place within the United States."-- "Lisa García Bedolla, co-author of Latino Politics"

About the Author

Julia Albarracín is Professor of Political Science at Western Illinois University. She is the author of Making Immigrants in Modern Argentina and At the Core and in the Margins: Incorporation of Mexican Immigrants in Two Rural Midwestern Communities, as well as the co-author of Creating Conspiracy Beliefs: How our Thoughts are Shaped.