Living Undocumented: High School, College, and Beyond

• In Event: (Undocumented) Immigrants and Voice: Youth Narratives and Sense-Making of Local and National Immigration Policies

Abstract

Policies are often made for specific populations, without an understanding or consideration of their realities. This two-part study centers on the voices of undocumented youth through a short documentary film - directed by the author - to set the stage for the personal, educational and political context they experience in the U.S. The documentary features the counter-narratives of diverse undocumented immigrant youth. Then the reactions of secondary students watching this documentary are analyzed.

This paper highlights the voices and perspectives of undocumented youth in relation to local and federal immigration programs and policies. Their stories illustrate the humanity and complexity of the immigration system that is absent from meta-narratives. The use of media provides a medium to present their voices (and faces) and can be broadly disseminated to schools, as well as the broader public. The paper also illustrates how digital literacy is used to impact the understandings and views of secondary students studying about current immigration issues.

CRT/LatCrit frames the study by placing Latino voices at the center (Parker & Lynn, 2002). In a context where undocumented people are blamed for a range of societal issues and labeled as “illegal” (among other terms), this study is focuses on personal stories as they connect to larger immigration policy and contrast with the discourse around undocumented minoritized youth through counter-narratives (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002).

The study takes a mixed-methods approach to understanding how a video impacts students’ views on the immigration system. Specifically, the study employs an anticipatory guide instrument to tracks student’s views pre and post viewing. It also asks them to elaborate on their opinions and the reasons for them.

The film includes 6 DREAMers (or undocumented youth), four of whom are Latinos. Two are recent high school graduates, two are in college and two are college graduates. The two high school classes of 20-25 students studying immigration viewed the film and documented their reactions to it. The schools were in an urban community, but were different in terms of their student population. One school was made up of fairly recent Latino immigrants and the other school was made up of mostly Latino and Black U.S. born students.

Students who viewed the film experienced a range of reactions. Undocumented students felt a sense of empowerment in seeing others like them who completed high school and college. For many, it was the first time they saw their realities reflected in the curriculum. This brought up suppressed feelings, which required attention from educators and/or guidance counselors. Students who had a regularized status became more attuned to the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants on a personal level, as well as the how larger policies impact people. They became more critical of the terminology (i.e. illegal versus undocumented) and the role of the government in reform efforts.

In a time of digital literacy, we must think about the inclusion of different sources and formats of providing information about current and contentious issues to students as they make sense of the world around them.

Author

• Tatyana Kleyn, City College of New York - CUNY