Young and Undocumented: Political Belonging in Uncertain Times

By: Julia Albarracín

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Synopsis: The experiences of DACA recipientsThe 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.