Unauthorized: Portraits of Latino Immigrants

by Marisol Clark-Ibáñez, Richelle S. Swan

Overview

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.



Chapters explore the myths and realities of topics including education, health care, work, deportation, and more. As immigration remains a controversial topic in the United States, this book aims to dispel common misconceptions about immigration while introducing readers to the real people behind the headlines.

The topic of undocumented immigration has received tremendous attention—from the debate on immigration reform to the Executive Actions of President Obama to the growing numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central America and more. In addition, the Syrian refugee crisis and the anti-immigrant discourse of presidential candidate Donald Trump have enraged many observers and emboldened others. This book provides factual information to readers who are interested in learning more about these issues and the people who are labeled “illegal.” Each chapter draws on both existing and original research to provide an accessible overview of key themes, and case studies bring issues to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442273832
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	06/21/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	326
File size:	5 MB

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.

Table of Contents

Contents

List of Boxes and Tables

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

Taking a Critical Human Rights Approach

A Quick Look at the Numbers

Why We Focus on Latinx Undocumented Immigrants

Why Is There So Much Latinx Migration?

Where Is That “Line”?

Can a Person “Get in Line” by Being Sponsored by a

Family Member?

Social Institutions—For All of Us

Chapter Overview

2 The Double-Edged Sword of the Media

Portrait of Magdalena

Myth and Myth Busted

Media Framing of Immigration and Immigrants

Creating a Moral Panic About Immigration

Mixed Messages: Mainstream Media Coverage of Latinxs

The Latinx Disconnect in the Media

Media Stereotypes of Latinx Immigrants and Immigration Fueling Fear

Inventing a Criminological Story

Promoting Hate Speech

Creating Threatening Imagery

Moments of Mainstream Media Resistance

Humane Representations of Immigrants and Immigration

Comics

Television Shows

Documentaries and Feature Films

User-Generated Digital and Social Media

3 Shortchanged—Work and Labor

Portrait of Arturo

Myth and Myth Busted

The Economic Contributions of Unauthorized Immigrants

The Surprising Role of the IRS

Myth and Myth Busted

The Segmented Labor Market and the Myth of Job Displacement

Labor Rights for Undocumented Workers

Agricultural Work: Backbreaking and Essential

Day Laborers: Vulnerable on the Streets

Aging White Americans and Undocumented Workers

Undocumented Women Workers

Reporting Workplace Abuse

Working Children and Youth

Children and Agriculture: Major Loopholes Leading to Inequality

Poultry and Meat Processing: Dangerous Work for Undocumented

Immigrants

North Carolina Hog Workers

Nebraska Meatpackers

Workplace Raids and Deportation

Undocumented Professionals: Smart, Persistent, and Committed to

the Cause

The Role of Visas for Undocumented Workers

“America’s Got Immigrant Talent!”

Proposing a Human-Right-to-Work Framework

4 Educational Dreams and Barriers

Portrait of Erika

Myth and Myth Busted

The (Leaking) Educational Pipeline for Undocumented Students

Financial Barriers and Opportunities

Place Matters: Educational Access Driven by Location

Important Education Legislation

Plyler v. Doe (1982): Guaranteeing Undocumented Children and

Youth Public Education

The Federal DREAM Act: A Not-Yet-Realized Pathway for

Undocumented Youth Dreamer Identity

Dreamer Identity

Becoming DACAmented: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

School as a Safe Zone: Protection from Immigration Enforcement

Feeling “In Between”

Returning to the Mexican Educational System Through Deportation

or Necessity

Undocumented Voices for Advocacy

The Importance of Allies

Inspiring Educational Alternatives

Freedom University

University of the People

Becoming an Ally

Including the Original Dreamers in Immigration Reform

5 Freefall with No Safety Net: Health

Portrait of Blanca

Myth and Myth Busted

Myth and Myth Busted

The Emergency Room: The Only Remaining Federal Protection

How States “Do” (or Don’t Do) Health Care for

Undocumented Immigrants

Health Care Approaches of Selected States: New York, California,

and Texas

New York—“Lady Liberty’s Message”

California—“A Ray of Hope”

Texas—High Need, Oppressive Tactics

The Difference a County Makes

The Crucial Role of Community Clinics

Effects of Immigration Policies: Bad for Health

Undocumented Children and Youth

Dental Care: Urgent Need and Few Resources

Creation of a Mental Health Crisis

Mental Health and Youth

Harmful for Health: Raids, Detention, and Deportation

Detention Centers: Troubling Solution, Terrifying Health Effects

Children in Detention: Inflicting More Harm

Doctors’ Moral Compasses and Professional Ethics

6 Legal Issues, Detention, and Deportation

Portraits of Detention and Deportation from the News

Myth and Myth Busted

Crimmigration and the Immigration Industrial Complex

Crimmigration = The Criminalization of Migrants

The Effect of “Free” Trade Agreements

Debunking the Criminal Immigrant Stereotype

Imperfectly Addressing Immigrant Victimization: The U-Visa

and T-Visa

The Scope and Enforcement Methods of Customs and Border

Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Customs and Border Protection and the 100 Air-Mile Zone

Use of Force Claims Against the CBP

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Interior Enforcement

Chilling Changes in ICE’s Policies and Enforcement

Apprehensions in Formerly Protected Places and of Formerly

Protected People

Federal Budgeting for Increased Detection, Detention,

and Deportation

An Overview of the Removal Process

Operation Streamline: Moving Immigration Matters to the

Criminal Courts

Separating Families

Detention

The State of Detention Centers

The Financial Benefits of Detention

Deportation

Legal Roots of the Modern Era of Deportation

Deformalized Methods of Deportation

“Deporters in Chief ” and Zero Tolerance

Legal Representation in Deportation Cases

Deportation Hearings in Detention Centers

Veterans and Deportation

7 Resistance and Social Change

Myth and Myth Busted

Myth and Myth Busted

Key Groups Working for Social Change

Strategizing for Change

Flipping the Script: The Use of Frame-Shifting Strategies

Marching for Justice

“Coming Out” Through Testimonios and Truth-Telling

Transgressing Through Civil Disobedience and Direct Action

Sitting-In and Staying Put

Infiltrating Detention Centers

Hunger Striking Against Injustice

Boycotting Consumption and Companies

Creating and Distributing Art

Self-Deporting and Asserting the Right to Entry

Creating Spaces of Sanctuary

8 Conclusion

Recommendations

Media

Work

Education

Health

Legal Issues, Detention, and Deportation

Resistance and Social Movements

The Relevance of Global Migration Patterns

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

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.

Edwin Lopez

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.

The Washington Book Review

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.

Melissa Salazar

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.

Booklist

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.

Caitlin Patler

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.

Gilda L. Ochoa

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. 

Carolina Valdivia Ordorica

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.

Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales