Life as an Undocumented Immigrant
“I don’t have a criminal record and don’t wish anyone harm. I’m just a person trying to live. Why can’t I have the chance to make a living?” (Life Is No Disneyland, 113). This is a question that many undocumented immigrants grapple with every day. In this reading, Yunuen communicates the reality of living with the fear and anxiety of deportation, internalized oppression, and longing for a better life, in which many undocumented immigrants can relate to.
Yunuen incorporates counter-storytelling to challenge social myths and contradict racist characterizations, aiming to expose how white privilege operates to reinforce societal inequalities. Counter-stories stand in opposition to dominant narratives, which carry assumptions that serve as filters in discussions of topics such as racism, sexism, and classism. I believe that Canal Alliance is a counter-story in itself, because the students are challenging the way they as a community are being defined. Schools are generally unwelcoming spaces for low-income families and people of color, which is a significant obstacle to academic achievement. “No one should have to try something in the double digits to have a better life, and people don’t do it because the United States is so wonderful, or because they want to get rich. It’s because they need to provide for their families because they have no other way to survive” (Life Is No Disneyland, 112), and Canal Alliance allows families to do more than just survive. Canal Alliance sheds light on the ways in which these people have been denied a voice, while allowing them to be heard through various forms of belonging. This program challenges the supposed wisdom about marginalized groups by demonstrating new possibilities and raising critical consciousness about the racial and social injustices of the people of the Canal District. “Overall, these young people have had to constantly face and overcome daunting challenges, and as a result have become successful — some might even say invincible” (Life Is No Disneyland, 109). Despite the stigma behind people of color and education, the students at Canal Alliance have used education to unify their community and deconstruct the dominant discourse.
In 2012, “President Barack Obama signed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order, which temporarily protected Dreamers against deportation, giving them Social Security numbers and temporary work permits, as long as they met requirements similar to those in the DREAM Act” (Life Is No Disneyland, 106). However, in recent news with headlines about a president who refers to migrants as an “infestation,” it has become increasingly evident that America does not feel safe for the undocumented. Trump’s immigration crackdown has instilled a new level of fear throughout our country for the documented and undocumented alike. Many of these immigrants are dubbed “dreamers,” referring to undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as minors. Undocumented youth have a right to K-12 public education, but as they transition into adulthood, they must face the realities of their illegal residency status. Without this legal residency status, they cannot legally work or vote and are under the constant threat of deportation. This issue highly impacts the students at Canal Alliance. “Deciding to migrate may be the hardest decision many people ever have to make: leaving behind everything they know, their family and friends, their culture and support network” (Life Is No Disneyland, 103). Despite facing great barriers to education, these students are learning to communicate through a new language in a new place, all while learning to rebuild their lives from the ground up. Many students at Canal Alliance are at the age of transitioning into adulthood and could be classified as “dreamers,” but will not have the opportunity to attend college, so ESL courses give them the possibility to further their education in a safe environment. “Even those students who do manage to attend college and graduate have a hard time getting work because of their undocumented status” (Life Is No Disneyland, 105). The Trump administration has put these students in a position where their future is uncertain, when all they want is to have a better future for themselves and for their families. Trump believes that rescinding DACA is necessary for the success of America, but as Yunuen said, “How can you tell stories about minority women if you’re a white man?” (Life Is No Disneyland, 112). DACA recipients are deeply woven into the economic and social framework of the United States, and the entire country benefits because of this.
The structural issue I will be researching is psychological distress among undocumented immigrants. “‘A high price paid’: Migration-related loss and distress among undocumented Mexican immigrants” discusses the vulnerability of undocumented immigrants for psychological distress, including prolonged separation from family, a sense of voicelessness, invisibility, loss of rights, and limited opportunities due to their illegal residency status. Similarly, “their vulnerability to workplace exploitation, discrimination, and human rights violations is heightened considerably” (Life Is No Disneyland, 103). Strenuous work environments and loss of wellbeing due to harsh living conditions and limited access to health services further increase risk for diminished health. Individuals from stigmatized groups, especially undocumented immigrants, face chronic stressors imposed by social structures that require them to exert more effort to cope with stress, which ultimately makes them more at-risk for psychological distress.
