Youth on Their Own

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-101
Author(s):  
Nina Rabin ◽  
Cecilia Menjívar
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Young People ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
National Belonging ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Legal Immigration ◽  
The U.S

This chapter considers the experiences of youth with ties to Mexico who are living without their parents in the United States as a result of immigration enforcement. The authors analyze interviews with youth in Southern Arizona, about two thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, while the remainder were undocumented, DACA recipients, or had other forms of legal immigration status. The chapter considers the complex family structures and living arrangements of these youth. Their diverse experiences capture the varied and often heart-wrenching decisions immigrant families make about where young people are most likely to thrive. The youth described their sense of national belonging, their views of the U.S. government, their experiences with the detention and/or deportation of a parent, their language and cultural backgrounds, and their views of how the border shapes their hopes and dreams for the future. Many voiced a precocious sense of responsibility for their parents’ futures as well as an alarming misunderstanding of the viable legal options available to arrange legal residency or status for themselves and their families..

“It's Different Here”: Complicating Concepts of College Knowledge and First Generation through an Immigrant Lens

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
Chrystal A. George Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Preparation ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Knowledge ◽  
K 12 ◽  
First Generation To College ◽  
College Educated ◽  
The U.S

Background/Context Children of immigrants are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. child population, and these children are increasingly entering the U.S. educational pipeline and seeking access to college. Gaining access to college in the United States requires college knowledge. Yet, obtaining college knowledge can be difficult for immigrant families, who may lack familiarity with the U.S. education system. Although one third of all immigrants possess a college degree, many earned their degree abroad or in the United States as international students and/or adult learners. Therefore, the children of college-educated immigrants may be the first in their family to seek access to college via the U.S. K–12 system. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study explores how African immigrant multigenerational families engage in college preparation. All families had at least one parent who had attained a college degree. In each family, the college-educated parent(s) either received their degree abroad or received their degree in the United States as an international student or adult returning student. The research questions are: How do immigrant families explain navigating the college-going process when their children are first in the family to prepare for college via the U.S. K–12 system? How do immigrant families describe their level of comfort with college preparation when their children are first in the family to prepare for college via the U.S. K–12 system? Research Design A qualitative, multiple case design was used. Findings/Results The findings demonstrate that although the children in this study were not first generation to college in a traditional sense, they experienced many of the same challenges. For the families in this study, the parents possessed institutionalized capital but often lacked what emerged as “U.S.-based college knowledge,” which impacted their experience with the college choice process. Conclusions/Recommendations Families’ lack of familiarity with the U.S. college preparation process (college testing, academic tracking, cost of college/financial aid) leads to a call for complicating concepts of “college knowledge” and “first generation” to college in a globalized society.

Youth Negotiate Deportation

2019 ◽  
pp. 135-146
Author(s):  
Lauren Heidbrink
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Young People ◽  
The United States ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Unaccompanied Children ◽  
Forced Return ◽  
The U.S

This chapter chronicles how young people experience deportation from the United States to Guatemala. It examines the policies and institutional practices that govern the removal of unaccompanied children and trace the ways in which young people and their families understand and navigate these policies and practices. Through multi-sited ethnographic research in the United States and Guatemala, the chapter reveals the various impacts of the forced “repatriation” of children, exacerbating the very conditions that spurred their migration and causing new interrelated uncertainties and related risks as “deportees.” As they are physically expelled from the United States, deported young people move out of U.S. legal systems. The effects of a forced “return” to their nations of origin produce new challenges such as feelings of isolation and vulnerability as well as danger, such that, in many ways, they continue to be in and moving through regimes of illegality. Demonstrating the long-term and geographically distant effects of the U.S. government’s deportation of children and youth, the chapter outlines the confining character of being out of a system, especially if once in it.

The Colors of Loisaida: Embedding Murals in Community Activism

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-532
Author(s):  
Timo Schrader
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Young People ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Activism ◽  
Great Society ◽  
Lower East Side ◽  
East Side ◽  
Forced Displacement ◽  
The World ◽  
The U.S

This article delves into an overlooked ingredient in community activism between the period of the Great Society and Reaganomics. In the midst of the shift from housing disinvestment to gentrification, communities across the United States sought out any means necessary to fight forced displacement. The community mural was one of the most creative tools activists employed to claim their stake in a neighborhood. This article demonstrates how these community murals were deeply embedded within activist projects, not simply as an afterthought but as a crucial catalyst to provoke action among the residents of a neighborhood, especially its young people. Loisaida (Spanglish for Lower East Side) was a pioneering neighborhood where activists democratized art as a means to politicize neighborhood space and organize an entire community. As murals play important roles for struggling communities across the world now, this article traces their role in community activism back to the U.S. mural movement.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 on Family Violence in Immigrant Communities in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-96
Author(s):  
Abha Rai ◽  
Susan F. Grossman ◽  
Nathan H. Perkins
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Family Violence ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
The Family ◽  
Employment Guarantee ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatening implications for all individuals; and has been particularly unsettling for immigrants. Given their unique positionality in the U.S., the intersectional discussion about the impact of this pandemic on immigrants and issues of family violence is salient. The position of some groups of immigrant women is even more precarious due to the increased dependency on their spouse/partner for emotional, economic and immigration-related reasons. While immigrants have been on the frontlines as responders for COVID-19, there are limited policies that provide them with healthcare, employment guarantee, or benefits. Further, the immigration restrictions created by the U.S. Government have worsened the position of immigrants. All these stressors create unprecedented challenges for immigrants. Therefore, it is vital to delve into the family dynamics, unique challenges, and potential solutions that can provide support to immigrant families. This commentary highlights the atypical challenges of immigrants in relation to the pandemic and how these challenges may impact the incidence of family violence. Through our discussion, we hope to encourage social work scholars, practitioners, and policy advocates to support and advocate for immigrants; especially, during the new normal under the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Experiencing Anti-Immigrant Policies on Both Sides of the U.S./Mexico Borderland: A Comparative Study of Mexican and Iranian Families

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Candel ◽  
Shahla Fayazpour
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Mexican Immigrants ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mexican Immigrant ◽  
Mexican Immigrant Families ◽  
Immigrant Policies ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Trump Administration

The experiences of Mexican and Iranian immigrant families are often unheard and unpacked. The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine how race, ethnicity, and national identity are at the core of the sociopolitical and economic issues that Latino and Iranian families undergo in the United States. Using critical race theory as a framework, this research analyzed the ways in which Mexican immigrant families who were deported, and Iranian-immigrant families living in the United States, have been differently affected by post 9/11 anti-immigrant policies and by zero tolerance policies enacted by the Trump administration. The research question guiding this study was: How do U.S. anti-immigrant policies affect Iranian and Mexican immigrant families and their children’s futures? Our findings uncovered that both groups were negatively affected, however, in different ways. Iranian immigrant parents worried about their socioeconomic status in the United States and their children’s future. They also feared that their relatives might not be able to visit them due to the U.S. Muslim Travel Ban placed on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. On the other hand, Mexican immigrants who lived in the United States undocumented were deported to Mexico. However, after deportation, and responding to the threat of the Trump administration to deport millions more, the Mexican government provided dual citizenship to U.S.-born children of Mexican returnees to facilitate their access to government services, including education. All people and place names are pseudonyms.

scholarly journals Orientals Need Apply: Gender-based Asylum in the U.S.

2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-92
Author(s):  
Midori Takagi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Asian Women ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Academic Texts ◽  
History Of ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Cultural Gaps ◽  
The U.S

Every other year I teach a course entitled “The History of Asian Women in America,” which focuses on the experiences of East, South and Southeast Asian women as they journey to these shores and resettle. Using autobiographies, poetry, journal writings, interviews and academic texts, the students learn from the women what political, social, cultural, economic and ecological conditions prompted them to leave their homelands and why they chose the United States. We learn of their rich cultural backgrounds, their struggles to create a subculture based on their home and host experiences, and the cultural gaps that often appear between the first and subsequent generations. And we also learn how patriarchy affects their lives transnationally. In spite of all this information, inevitably one student always asks “why are Asian cultures so oppressive to women?”

scholarly journals Windows on the World with USBBY’s Outstanding International Books

2021 ◽  
pp. 201-210
Author(s):  
Dr. Mon Kerby ◽  
Brenda Dales
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The World ◽  
The U.S

This paper explains the purpose of the Outstanding International Books (OIB) Committee of the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), the available resources on the USBBY OIB site (http://www.usbby.org/list_oibl.html), and highlights selected titles from the 2015 list. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the OIB Lists have represented some of the most outstanding international books published, providing a range of titles appropriate for children from birth to 18 years of age. Titles were first published in another country and language before being distributed in English throughout the U.S. Some of the countries where these books originated include Australia, France, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The paper includes an annotated bibliography of the 2015 OIB Book list for librarians who wish to have a selection aid when purchasing books for their school libraries.

scholarly journals Care in Context: Dementia Support in Mexico and the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 478-478
Author(s):  
Sunshine Rote ◽  
Jacqueline Angel ◽  
William Vega
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Health Care Financing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Mexican Origin ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Due to rapid demographic transitions, the number of people with dementia is rising in the Americas, and is expected to double in the coming decades, increasing from14.8 million in 2030 to over 27 million by 2050. The burden of dementia is especially pronounced for the Mexican-origin population in Mexico and the U.S. For Mexico, financial support for older low-income citizens and medical care are universal rights, but limited fiscal resources and the needs of a large low-income population create inevitable competition for limited resources among the old and the young. Although the United States has a more developed economy and well-developed Social Security and health care financing systems for older adults, Mexican-origin individuals in the U.S. do not necessarily benefit fully from these programs. The institutional and financial problems are compounded in both countries by longer life spans, smaller families, as well as changing gender roles and cultural norms. Such changes affect the Mexican-origin population in particular because of a higher prevalence rates of cognitive impairment than other racial and ethnic groups, and the lower access to resources to provide care. In this GSA Symposium, the authors of four papers deal with the following topics as they relate to dementia care in Mexico and the United States: (1) living alone in late life; (2) living arrangements and dementia care; (3) the role of non-governmental organizations in care; (4) next steps to address dementia care needs in the U.S. and Mexico.

Stressors among Hispanic adults from immigrant families in the United States: Familismo as a context for ambivalence.

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha M. Rojas ◽  
Joseph G. Grzywacz ◽  
Martha I. Zapata Roblyer ◽  
Rebecca Crain ◽  
Richard C. Cervantes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Immigrant Families ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hispanic Adults

An American Language

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosina Lozano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
National Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Language Recognition ◽  
Political Language ◽  
Political Issue ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

An American Language is a political history of the Spanish language in the United States. The nation has always been multilingual and the Spanish language in particular has remained as an important political issue into the present. After the U.S.-Mexican War, the Spanish language became a language of politics as Spanish speakers in the U.S. Southwest used it to build territorial and state governments. In the twentieth century, Spanish became a political language where speakers and those opposed to its use clashed over what Spanish's presence in the United States meant. This book recovers this story by using evidence that includes Spanish language newspapers, letters, state and territorial session laws, and federal archives to profile the struggle and resilience of Spanish speakers who advocated for their language rights as U.S. citizens. Comparing Spanish as a language of politics and as a political language across the Southwest and noncontiguous territories provides an opportunity to measure shifts in allegiance to the nation and exposes differing forms of nationalism. Language concessions and continued use of Spanish is a measure of power. Official language recognition by federal or state officials validates Spanish speakers' claims to US citizenship. The long history of policies relating to language in the United States provides a way to measure how U.S. visions of itself have shifted due to continuous migration from Latin America. Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens are crucial arbiters of Spanish language politics and their successes have broader implications on national policy and our understanding of Americans.

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