Experiences of Illegality and Incorporation Among Unauthorized, Unparented Latino Youth in Los Angeles

• In Event: 549 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 05. Central American Migration

Abstract

Segmented assimilation theory identifies context of reception as shaping immigrants’ pathways of incorporation the host country. Researchers conclude that legal status is the most important social position in determining the incorporation pathway and sense of belonging for undocumented immigrant youth. The homogenization of undocumented youth as ‘child’ and ‘student’ neglects the migration and incorporation experiences of unaccompanied child migrants who grow up without parents in the U.S. and may not complete schooling. Based on 53 in-depth interviews with Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Mexican young adults (18-34) who arrived in the U.S. as minors and three years of ethnographic observation, I propose a tripartite typology for the potential context of reception that unaccompanied youth migrants encounter when they are not reunited with a biological parent in the U.S. Rather than assuming parental presence and co-ethnic community ties, I argue that the strength of unparented youth’s familial and community networks determine their exposure to or isolation from spatial and social environments that contextualize their understanding of the social identities (i.e. legal, educational, familial) that shape their access to incorporation. Based on these understandings, youth employ strategies that allow them to navigate their perceived obstacles to social incorporation and mobility. This study proposes including family organization as a context of reception that shapes undocumented youth's modes of incorporation. Findings from this study can inform new approaches to measuring incorporation and guide future studies of unaccompanied child migration and incorporation in the U.S.

Author

• Stephanie L. Canizales, University of Southern California