Personal and Cultural Trauma and the Ambivalent National Identities of Undocumented Young Adults in the USA

Abstract

Using data from 41 in-depth interviews with undocumented young adults, we examine how they define what it means to be an American and explore whether and to what extent they identify as ‘Americans’. Framing our analysis in theories of personal and cultural trauma, we illustrate how undocumented youth experience double-consciousness that compounds their approach to national identities. Respondents express ambivalence towards adopting an American identity, recognising their commitment to American cultural values, yet continuously feeling repelled by laws that position them as outsiders to US polity. In spite of this, undocumented youth contest their liminal status by working towards full participation in civil society. Their activities, actions, and levels of civic participation demonstrate that even though they are barred from US citizenship, they work towards embodying what they believe a true American should be.

Keywords:

• Migration
• Migrants
• Undocumented Migrants
• Belonging
• National Identity
• Citizenship
• Youth
• Civic Participation
• Ambivalence
• Cultural Trauma

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Dr. Nilda Flores-Gonzalez for allowing us to adapt the interview guide from her research for us to use as a basis for our questionnaire. The authors wish to thank Pamela Gomez for her assistance in interviewing some of the participants in this study.

Notes

[1] DACA is an executive decree from 2012, which temporarily delays the removal proceedings of undocumented youth and young adults who entered the US before their 16th birthday and before June 2007. Individuals receive a renewable two-year work permit and are exempt from deportation. DACA neither bestows legal immigrant status nor does it provide a path to citizenship, however, it grants access to certain privileges such as driver's licences and work permits.

[2] Some of our participants identified as queer, or more specifically, they did not identify with one gender over another. When referring to them, we use the pronoun ‘they’.

[3] DAPA is an executive programme announced on 20 November 2014 by President Obama to grant deferred action status to certain undocumented immigrants who have lived in the US since 2010 and have children who are American citizens or lawful permanent residents. As DACA, it does not grant legal status, but it exempts recipients from deportation and allows them to apply for work permits.