Dyson College Assistant Professor of Political Science Kiku Huckle, PhD, has devoted much of her academic career to exploring complex questions related to the intersection of culture, identity, and politics. Immigration and immigration policy has increasingly been a focus of her work.
糖心vlog短视频淢y colleague Katsuo Nishikawa Chavez and I were chatting about projects, commenting how a lot of the immigration research we see is very United States-centric. We糖心vlog短视频檙e very much concerned with who糖心vlog短视频檚 coming in, what is their impact here, how can they become citizens,糖心vlog短视频 says Huckle.
糖心vlog短视频淏ut that leaves out this huge area of immigration politics that we糖心vlog短视频檙e not addressing at all糖心vlog短视频攚hat happens when people leave?糖心vlog短视频 she asks.
Particularly, Huckle and Nishikawa Chavez wanted to give voice to the stories of DREAMers. A name derived from the proposed Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, DREAMers refer to undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors糖心vlog短视频攕ometimes as infants or toddlers糖心vlog短视频攚ho face risk of deportation because they were not born in the United States. Some DREAMers, in fact, don糖心vlog短视频檛 find out they are not American citizens until applying for a job or college.
糖心vlog短视频淏ut that leaves out this huge area of immigration politics that we糖心vlog短视频檙e not addressing at all糖心vlog短视频攚hat happens when people leave?糖心vlog短视频 Huckle asks.
糖心vlog短视频淚 actually found out because our school was pushing to send out college applications, so they were like 糖心vlog短视频榦h, just have this information ready,糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频 said one interview subject from Huckle糖心vlog短视频檚 documentary, The Price of a Dream.糖心vlog短视频 But when I asked my mom about the information, she said 糖心vlog短视频榊ou don糖心vlog短视频檛 really have it. You weren糖心vlog短视频檛 born here.糖心vlog短视频櫶切膙log短视频
糖心vlog短视频淢y life in the US was pretty normal,糖心vlog短视频 he added, 糖心vlog短视频渆xcept that I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 know I was an immigrant until it was time to apply for colleges.糖心vlog短视频
Because the DREAM Act is a legislative proposal糖心vlog短视频攊t hasn糖心vlog短视频檛 been approved by the Senate to become law糖心vlog短视频擠REAMers are encouraged to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a 2012 Executive order that enables DREAMers to work or study in the United States for a given period of time if they meet certain requirements. Yet, since one糖心vlog短视频檚 DACA status must continually be renewed (and its existence is constantly under threat) not all DREAMers opt for a life permanently in limbo糖心vlog短视频攁nd instead return to the country they were born in, even if it is entirely unfamiliar culturally or linguistically.
糖心vlog短视频淢y life in the US was pretty normal,糖心vlog短视频 he added, 糖心vlog短视频渆xcept that I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 know I was an immigrant until it was time to apply for colleges.糖心vlog短视频
Huckle and her colleague were interested in shedding light on these stories糖心vlog短视频攊ndividuals who often identified themselves as American, but opted to leave once they became fully aware of their status and the uncertainties and obstacles it rendered. Thus, with a grant from the Migration Narrative Project (funded by the Henry Luce foundation) Huckle and Nishikawa Chavez were able to travel to Leon, Mexico, where they interviewed five DREAMers who decided to return to their birth country糖心vlog短视频攗ltimately concluding that building a life in Mexico as legal citizens was preferable to staying in the United States.
The interviewees糖心vlog短视频攚ho grew up in different areas of the United States and had different life experiences in America糖心vlog短视频攄iscussed the reasons for leaving. They discussed the lack of security in the United States, the sheer amount of jobs closed off to them, lack of benefits, and constant threat of deportation.
糖心vlog短视频淚n the states I was doing menial jobs, manual labor, my whole education was a waste. Here, I actually feel like my education is serving me something. I am somebody here, I have a career, I can upgrade糖心vlog短视频here糖心vlog短视频檚 opportunity here,糖心vlog短视频 said one interviewee.
糖心vlog短视频淯ndocumented students cannot get in-state tuition. Even if I would糖心vlog短视频檝e been accepted to a public university, they might糖心vlog短视频檝e charged me for out of state tuition, which is about three times more,糖心vlog短视频 noted another interview subject. 糖心vlog短视频淓ven if I graduated with a bachelor糖心vlog短视频檚 degree, I wouldn糖心vlog短视频檛 have been able to work, because I didn糖心vlog短视频檛 have a Social Security Number.糖心vlog短视频
Yet, they also discussed the immense difficulties of leaving the country where they had long considered home糖心vlog短视频攁nd contributed to in the same manner as any legal citizen.
糖心vlog短视频淚 don糖心vlog短视频檛 fully understand Mexico that well,糖心vlog短视频 said another interviewee, 糖心vlog短视频淵eah, I know I糖心vlog短视频檓 Mexican by birth, but that糖心vlog短视频檚 about it,糖心vlog短视频 said one interviewee. 糖心vlog短视频淕etting used to the expressions, the way people speak, people are very quick to pick up you糖心vlog短视频檙e not from here.糖心vlog短视频
The uncertain status of these individuals can also make for some incredibly heart-wrenching stories. One interview subject was split from his family after being deported, missing his mom糖心vlog短视频檚 funeral and the birth of his son, who were in America. His partner, also a DREAMer, decided that she would return to Mexico with their newborn son, so they can raise the family together and continue to have a life together. Had she stayed in America, the mere prospect of seeing one another would have been incredibly difficult and risky.
糖心vlog短视频淢y mom糖心vlog短视频檚 buried (in the states) I糖心vlog短视频檇 like to go drop off some flowers, say hi,糖心vlog短视频 he said. 糖心vlog短视频淚 missed my mom糖心vlog短视频檚 funeral, I missed the birth of my son糖心vlog短视频hose are things I can糖心vlog短视频檛 get back. You can糖心vlog短视频檛 get time back.糖心vlog短视频
The documentary explores poignant questions of identity and belonging糖心vlog短视频攁 common thread amongst the interviewees is that their status renders them in an 糖心vlog短视频渋n-between糖心vlog短视频 state, where they don糖心vlog短视频檛 feel like they belong entirely in either country. As Huckle notes, the power of individual stories can give a human element to the issue, and can perhaps help shape policy.
糖心vlog短视频淭hese are really good people who are being treated unfairly,糖心vlog短视频 said Huckle. 糖心vlog短视频淚f we could reshape our understanding of ourselves and recognize that the way that we treat people makes our country better or worse, that will help us understand a better approach to immigration.糖心vlog短视频
We encourage you to watch The Price of a Dream, available for viewing below.
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