Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth's Political Activism under the Law

Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth's Political Activism under the Law

Presented by the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society

Undocumented immigrants in the United States who engage in social movement activism do so at great risk: the threat of deportation. In Organizing While Undocumented, Kevin Escudero shows why and how—despite this risk—many bravely continue to fight on the front lines for their rights. Drawing on more than five years of research, including interviews with undocumented immigrant activists, Escudero focuses on three of the movement’s epicenters—San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City—to explain the impressive political success of the undocumented immigrant community. In doing so, he demonstrates how activists' identities as undocumented immigrants, but also as queer individuals, people of color, and women, have allowed them to build coalitions with others and connect their efforts to broader social justice struggles today.