Undocumented? So what.

What? When people use their voices out can come powerful words and sayings. Some may not understand that the use of words can be powerful and have implications that affect many individuals. In the book, Illegal by Jose Angel N., the readers learn about the words Americans use to describe the author in US political discourse and how the laws that constrain the author are linked to specific vocabulary. In the forward section of the book the author talks about how phrases used affect the undocumented community in the United States. As an example, Angel wrote, “The language used to characterize undocumented immigrants has cast them almost exclusively in the form of lawbreakers” (xi). In that specific statement, I understand that the author is referring to the fact that citizens of the United States view undocumented human beings as “lawbreakers” because they came into the country without proper paperwork. I strongly agree that by not filling out the proper paperwork needed to become a citizen of the United States that one then does become a lawbreaker. However, I disagree with the idea of labeling all undocumented people with a harsh term such as lawbreakers. Those immigrants who intentionally disobey the law, are crossing the border to better their life for themselves and their families. Angel also explains that in addition to being called a “lawbreaker”, legal citizens will always see undocumented people in a certain view, “The illegal newcomer will be stigmatized as a criminal and doomed to live “amid the shadows”’(xxi). Throughout the book, the audience is constantly reminded of how such vocabulary, such as lawbreakers, undocumented and criminal, affect the undocumented population, but more specifically the author himself. Even at the end of this book Angel still reflects about words that are associated with his status of being undocumented, “I am a trespasser and a criminal…and abyss of moral rectitude separates me from the law-abiding citizen” (94). His inner thoughts about certain words that are associated with his personal identity does further prove the point that words are a powerful tool and have strong connotations even when we do not necessarily know it or mean for it.

So What? As we learned from the introduction of the book vocabulary such as, lawbreaker and criminal, are powerful words when it comes to describing undocumented immigrants in the United States. When using the terms lawbreaker and criminal a majority of the time most people associate those words with the laws that one has not complied with. However, in this book Angel allows for the readers to make connections with particular words and the laws that affects the interaction that he has with people while living in Chicago. There are several instances throughout the book in which the author has run-ins with the law regarding his legal status in the United States. The very first encounter that Angel experienced was when he was caught with his cousin in a house waiting to be taken to another part of the United States. The house they were waiting in was compromised, and the immigrants then were taken into the custody of law enforcement for their statements. Angel recalls that he was, “Kindly led to a desk where a blond officer sits. In a Spanish that impresses me, he asks me my full name and place and date of birth, whether I have tried crossing before and if I’ll try again afterward. I say no to both, and I don’t remember if he either makes me sign a document or takes my fingerprints” (6). This interaction that Angel has with law enforcement was nothing like what he was expecting it to be like. He believed that if he was caught and arrested that he would expect “beatings, interrogations” (6) because he had entered the country illegally and was a lawbreaker. The second incident that the author experienced was when the LSAT required every participant to provide proper paperwork in order to be licensed lawyers. The LSAT needed one’s identification card and Social Security number. In addition to those requirements, the company was required to take the individual’s picture. Angel was not able to comply with those orders, because he had a fake Social Security number. Angel reaction to this news of the requirement made him question, “What would happen if I was caught trying to use a fake Social Security number to take an entrance test into a field whose very nature excluded me” (54)? Unfortunately, due to the legal ramifications that Angel would face if he went through with the process to be licensed, he never did. In this example, just like the first experience, Angel’s thought about being a criminal and lawbreaker with this experience as well. This just goes to prove that even over the course of the book the author experienced how words and the law are linked together.

Now What? I believe that this book is important to the immigration debate we are currently having in American politics, because this book provides a unique perspective of an undocumented person’s experience living within the United States. I think that this book provides readers with more knowledge of the other side on the issue of immigration. As readers, we learn about the author’s personal experience of being undocumented in a country that considers him as a criminal versus human beings who are trying to better their lives. However, to be completely honest, this book has not helped me influence the way that I understand or think about US immigration policies. The author does not provide enough history or background information for me to understand how the immigration policy works. To Angel’s credit, he does provide some policies that affected the undocumented immigrants. For example, Angel talked about the Real ID Act. Prior to reading this book, I was not informed about this policy, “The law that Congress passed was known as the Real ID Act, and it required anyone renewing their driver’s licenses to provide a valid Social Security number” (12). Other than that example, I felt that the other polices that he mentions throughout the book does not give me a better understanding about this larger issue of immigration.

After finishing the book, I ended up having more questions about the immigration policy, and how the policy applies to our current situation in the United States. I was able to gain more awareness on the current state on our immigration policy after attending the immigration panel at Dominican University. The discussions at the event had me wondering if all undocumented immigrants should have the right to a path of citizenship. Personally, it is difficult for me to take a stance on whether or not all undocumented immigrants should have the right to a path to citizenship. A part of me says no that we should not allow them to have access, because the United States would not be able to accommodate every single individual wanting to gain citizenship. Ultimately my heart says yes, because every human deserves to live where they are safe, comfortable, and welcomed. We can always make room for immigrants in our country. We must, and we will do exactly that.