Grief Across Borders: The Role of (Im)mobility in Grieving Transnational Deaths for Mixed-Status Families

• In Event: 40459 - Identity, Work, and Family: Latinos in the US and Beyond

Abstract

Mixed-status families, or families made up of people with different immigration statuses, are subject to family-level penalties when one of their members is undocumented (Abrego 2019, Enriquez 2015, Dreby 2012).

In the case of transnational death –– a death that occurs in an immigrant's country of origin after they have migrated –– undocumented immigrants experience immobility because they are blocked from traveling to their countries of origin to participate in mourning rituals (Bravo 2016, Fullerton-Rico 2023). We aim to contribute to the growing literature on transnational death by examining whether and how immigration status and (im)mobility impact experiences of grief within mixed-status families.

We draw from ethnographic fieldwork and interviews as well as focus-group discussions with immigration-impacted individuals (Enriquez et al. Forthcoming) that utilize art-making activities to discuss themes of (im)mobility, transnational death, and immigration status. Confirming what previous research suggests, we find that members of mixed-status families experience mobility barriers that impact their ability to grieve, even when they are not undocumented themselves. We also find that immigration status shapes experiences of transnational grief. Undocumented immigrants may participate in honoring the deceased through virtual participation in mourning rituals or through cultural practices. Individuals in liminal statuses, such as DACA, experience uncertainty about their rights and what role they should play in helping their families mourn. For the children of undocumented immigrants, the experience of transnational grief is shaped by their age and status as well as the experiences of their undocumented parent(s). In some cases, their citizenship status is leveraged to attend the funeral. In others, citizen children remain in the U.S. and act as the only physically present emotional support for undocumented parent(s). Though data analysis is ongoing, our preliminary findings strongly suggest that transnational grief is a multigenerational punishment (Enriquez 2015) for mixed-status families.

Authors

• Kristina M. Fullerton Rico, University of Michigan

• Aransa Hidaly Sanchez, University of California, Irvine

• Laura E. Enriquez, University of California-Irvine