Borders and Badges: How Arizona’s Children Make Sense of Detention and Deportation Through Art

• In Event: Defending Migrant Rights

Abstract

Currently, about 20% of the young people in the United States are born to immigrant parents (Chaudry, 2010). That is, an estimated 5.5 million U.S. children grow up in immigrant homes. While the population of children in immigrant families continues to increase, anti-Latino immigrant sentiments and the number of record high deportations by the Obama administration are creating traumatizing experiences for what will be the next generation of U.S. citizens.
This study examines 114 drawings, poems, and letters by predominantly Mexican-American children ages 5-18 from immigrant families in what is known as the laboratory for anti-immigrant legislation--Phoenix Arizona. This work provides a compelling look into the harrowing lives of children growing up in hostile anti-immigrant environments by using an artistic medium. The themes found in this work include Family Separation, Respect/Racism, Sheriff Joe Arpaio/Authority, and Hope. This study can be useful for teachers, academics, policy makers, and community organizations in assessing the needs of immigrant children experiencing the threat of family separation.

Author

• Silvia P Rodriguez Vega, University of California, Los Angeles