This week’s viewing and listening are around the experience of migration and immigration and what the experience of being undocumented does to children. Please respond to these works: “Are the Kids Alright” and “Which Way Home” below. What are the experiences of children from families who are undocumented? What are the effects of this stress? How can or should Chicana/o studies and Chicana feminist theory help us respond to the threats experienced by undocumented children? What should be our response to the threats posed by deportation?
You may also respond to this with your own questions and other readings you find helpful or thought-provoking.
Based on the videos I watched, it is evident that children experience a loss of innocence, pain, and sadness. What I mean by a loss of innocence is that the children in the videos are expected to grow up so fast. They are expected to assume the responsibilities of adults-they do not have the time to enjoy their childhood, a heartbreaking reality. Because many undocumented families are separated, there is a great sense of pain and sadness that they experience. As evidenced in the video on Latino USA, the kids “are not alright.” We see kids under stress and a massive amount of pain and suffering. Jose, for example, in the movie Which Way Home, who is ten years old is in so much pain, especially since he hasn’t seen his mother in three years, BROKE MY HEART. In fact, all of their experiences are heart breaking! All these children want to do is work and help their parents-they are willing to sacrifice their life to improve their socioeconomic conditions.
By studying and examining the immigrant population, we can help improve the human condition. We must use different theoretical approaches; debunk the notion that immigrants suck up the nations resources. I can’t believe that Americans buy into xenophobic Euphemisms used to distort the effects of Capitalism (offshoring of American jobs to exploit workers in other countries). I can’t believe many Americans still blame immigrants for our country’s economic issues.
Bottom line is that we need to organize and build coalitions advocating social justice for immigrant communities. What is happening in our country today, and historically, is an absolute disgrace. My heart bleeds for these families sitting on the margins because they live in a constant state of fear. By continuing to organize around the issues, we can help produce change when it comes to immigration policy.
After listening to the videos, the one that stood out to me was “Are The Kids Alright?”, because the kids had to do the parents responsibilities. Its Bobby’s first day of school and instead of his parents making him food, he is pouring cereal for his father, which is 82 years old. His father had him when he was 72 when Bobby was born. So Bobby now has to look out for his dad since he is older and cannot do much things around the house. Bobby took over a major responsibility and he is only the 5th grade. It is sad to see these young kids missing out of their childhood to take over their parents responsibilities.
Bill was 15 when he had to find a job and make ends meet for his family. These children suffer from stress due to the lack of resources they can receive for their families. Bobby’s mother, Gloria, gets deported back to Mexico, leaving Bobby and his siblings with their elder father. The kids suffered from their mother leaving back to Mexico, because her mother was denied a green card. Bill, the second oldest brother, had to step in to take over larger responsibilities. Bill was a scholar and looked for resources to help his family in every way. Going door to door to sell his mother food, to make extra cash for their family. I don’t understand why the government would deport their mother, with no criminal records, back to Mexico leaving her children and family behind.
After watching the film “Which Way Home” there are few things that I would like to discuss. First and foremost, there is not enough tears in me to express the worries, sadness, frustration, and anger I feel towards the issue of children feeling the urge to migrate to the United States. I want to say that the United States is culpable in the destabilization of other countries like Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and many more. The United States directly and indirectly create situations that bring to life the desire to leave those countries. I do not believe that these children hap haphazardly decide to leave their families, it is the extremely impoverished and turmoiled conditions they live in that pushes them to migrate. It is the universal desire to live a life with dignity that pushes these children to risk their lives on route to the United States. I think it is important to note that, particularly at this time, it is of utmost important to lost critically at anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric to find that ultimately there are human lives on the line. As people within the marginalized communities in the United States it is important that we become aware of such attacks on humanity and do our part to create so community where other marginalized groups can find support. Much like people organized in Mexico to help the children, women, and men who were passing by I was left with the question of what I can do to help. I know that one thing I will be doing is discussing this issue with family members and hopefully managing to sit them down long enough to watch the film. I think one important step is to be aware of the problem. Another thing I was thinking of how adoption might be an option. My family I will never be able to replace their families, nor give them lives full of riches, but we can provide care, support, safety and guidance as they grow into adults. I’ve always felt that I could have +10 kids if I didn’t have to physically give birth to them. Adoption has been a long standing discussion between my partner and I. This film now helps me understand, it is a reminder where I am most needed.
Migration and immigration experiences tend to affect children the most. Children are often the ones who are affect with family separation or migration decisions. Or if they see their families in need such as the children in “Which Way Home” like Kevin and Frito feel like they have to help their families although they are not the adults.
Family situations tend to shape childhood experiences because children suffer the psychological outcomes from separation. On the contrast, some families who live in fear of deportation for being undocumented, children as well suffer the negative outcomes because they are constant stressed of their families situation. Children are forced to grow up fast leaving their childhood behind because they try uphold the responsibilities of their families. It truly sad to see children have to grow up fast the only thing they should be worrying about being happy not taking the roles of the adults. As a Chicana/o studies major our responsibilities is to let other know about the struggles and constant issues that are occurring within our community and also to try to advocate for children who are going through these issues.
The experiences of children who come from families that are undocumented are having to grow up fast, having to take up everybody else’s responsibilities, and mixed emotions while trying to understand what is going on. Many children go through frustration, sadness, confusion, often times anxiety because they do not know what else is can happen or when something will happen. The effects of this stress are having to live a life filled with fear, having to become adults quickly, often times some children have to take on the role as mom/dad. Our responses to this to the threats is by talking about it not just put it on under the rug and hope nobody notices it is a topic that not many are educated on and I feel that we have educate people and be willing to listen. Too many times we hear what people say but very rarely we understand what they are trying to say, we fail to see how they feel about it and we should bring awareness of what is going on. We also have to stand up for those who are afraid of what the consequences maybe if they do decide to speak up and to unite as one.
The experiences of children from families who are undocumented have separation issues because they are abruptly shifted from living to two parents to living with just one. At times it is short lived but most cases it last for years. Other experiences of children are financial and emotional hardships because when they came to the United States with little with themselves. One of the major issues in these children had a permanent change in their family structure and it can lead to family dissolution. In the NPR Latino “The Kids are Not Alright,” shows how the children are trying to fill the shoes of the absent parent and take on a lot of role and responsibilities. The children of undocumented parents have an automatic disadvantage in their education,health,
The effects of this stress will have the children mature faster than their peers and they would partake in holding the family together is tiresome. The young girl Naomi in the NPR piece expressed how she feels that she needs to always do right and if she didn’t, her family would fall apart. Her two older brothers are out of the house with one in the military, the other off to college, and their mother in Mexico. The young boy they had who was feeding his 80-year-old father with the preparation of breakfast.
Chicana/o studies and Chicana feminist theory could help us respond to the threats experienced by undocumented children by understanding the lives that children like Bobby have endured. When their mother/father is not present, the only person Bobby looks up to is his older sister Naomi. We can use our Chicano/a studies to educate the masses on the issues that trickle down from deportations.
We need to inform those who think all of the undocumented immigrants is a singular experience when it is complex, affecting a whole family.