Undocuasians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists’ navigation of racialized ＂illegality,＂ the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.

KEVIN ESCUDEROis an assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Sociology, the Population Studies and Training Center, and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University, Rhode Island. He is the author of Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth’s Political Activism under the Law.

RACHEL FREEMAN-WONG is a postdoctoral research associate for the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, Rhode Island. She has worked with immigrant advocacy organizations including The UndocuScholars Project at UCLA.