Media (Mis)Construction of Undocumented Youth in the U.S.

• In Event: Education, Immigration, and (Im)mobility in a Global Context: Policy, Leadership, and Institutional Responses

Abstract

Through the use of critical discourse analysis (CDA) as our theoretical framework, this chapter's objective is to analyze the role of news media in the (mis)construction of undocumented youth. The study data included Spanish and English language evening television news reports about the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2010, and interviews with undocumented youth in the United States. The implications of the findings for undocumented youth traverse from the public and into schools, and we argue that education leaders must actively challenge and disrupt the (mis)constructions in direct and intentional ways. We provide a theoretical argument and practical steps for how educators can support undocumented youth in their school and communities.

Authors

• Jaime Liborio Del Razo, Vassar College

• Ruth María López, University of Arizona

• Jaein Josefina Lee, Harvard University