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Dreaming beyond the fields: Undocumented youth, rural realities and a constellation of disadvantage

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Abstract

This article draws on life history interviews of undocumented Mexican high school and university students from rural communities in central and eastern Washington. Although these youngsters face similar impediments to those of their metropolitan counterparts, we find that they face a constellation of rural disadvantage. We highlight three important, interrelated, aspects: negative exposure to immigration enforcement activities, limited opportunities for educational assistance and poor community infrastructures to promote educational success. As undocumented young people across the country navigate the day-to-day challenges of their legal limitations, scholars, policymakers and educators would be well served to take into consideration the ways in which local contexts differently shape pathways of incorporation.

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Notes

  1. We define the 1.5 generation as those born abroad who migrate before the age of 12. See Rumbaut (2004).

  2. These estimates are based on a combination of the 2010 US Census and Pew Research data. See Passel and Cohn (2011).

  3. To maintain participants’ anonymity, all names presented herein are pseudonyms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

    Roberto G Gonzales

  2. University of Chicago, IL

    Ariel G Ruiz

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  1. Roberto G Gonzales
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  2. Ariel G Ruiz
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Gonzales, R., Ruiz, A. Dreaming beyond the fields: Undocumented youth, rural realities and a constellation of disadvantage. Lat Stud 12, 194–216 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/lst.2014.23

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