The divergent adolescent and adult transitions of Latin American undocumented minors

Abstract

Undocumented immigrants arriving in the United States as minors navigate tremendous constraints as they transition into adolescence and adulthood. Exclusionary immigration laws profoundly shape and complicate the attainment of important milestones and the decisions undocumented minors make about their adult futures. A significant body of research, largely focused on children who arrive when they are 12 years old and younger, has examined the impact of legal exclusion on the coming‐of‐age experiences of undocumented minors. However, we know less about the experiences of teenage arrivals. In this article, we focus on young Latin American migrants and provide an overview of how legal exclusion contours undocumented minors' adolescent and adult transitions; we also call attention to the divergent experiences of youth who arrive during childhood and youth who arrive during adolescence. Throughout the article, we emphasize how the timing of immigration—the developmental stage when a young person migrates—creates meaningful differences in the barriers undocumented minors confront.

Dreams Deferred: United States Policies that Shape Undocumented Immigrant Youth

“…Undocumented students can therefore expect privacy and rights at least until they graduate high school. That said, undocumented children still face many challenges, in large part due to their immigration status and that of their parents 4, 30 . It has been estimated that only about 40% of undocumented students do not complete high school, a rate very similar to their citizen peers 4 ,.…”

“…Given access to K-12 and higher education, undocumented youth are likely to have higher skills (e.g., English proficiency) than their parents, yet the limitations of their status can force them into the same job pool 4 . In the absence of work authorization, undocumented youth must be employed in jobs with little or no administrative oversight (e.g., cash jobs) 30,38 . This leaves undocumented youth vulnerable to exploitation, lack of work opportunities, and benefits 2 .…”

“…This leaves undocumented youth vulnerable to exploitation, lack of work opportunities, and benefits 2 . Further difficulties can be linked to a lower socioeconomic status that makes it more difficult to acquire the soft skills needed to be hired, retain a job or be promoted 4, 30 .…”

“…Undocumented youth could access jobs that they were previously disallowed to have even when they had the appropriate skills or qualifications 8,17 . Undocumented youth were less likely to be threatened based on their immigration status, and thus could better access and advocate for workers' rights and benefits 30,38 . In certain states, they could apply for driver licenses which would further facilitate employment, commuting, and relocation 39 .…”

“…Once aware of their status, undocumented youth must content with its implications the well-being of themselves and their family 4 . As these children come of age, they face the mental, physical, and emotional toll of being undocumented compounded by the challenges of adulthood 3,4,30 .…”