“According to FWD.us, more than 22 million people in the United States live in mixed-status households, where at least one undocumented person lives with US citizens or lawful temporary immigrants. Mixed-status families can include a couple where one spouse is a citizen and the other is undocumented, or a household where the parents are undocumented but the children are protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Nearly half of all DACA recipients live in mixed-status families. Children in a mixed-status household are often forced to take on vital roles—acting as translators, legal representatives, and intermediaries between the US system and their immigrant family members.
For the children of undocumented immigrants, trying to fulfill these responsibilities is laborious and confusing.”
A UCLA student describes how her mixed status family affects her views of immigration reform proposals. She
“says that her mixed-status helps her see immigration policy proposals from a unique—and critical—perspective. `Any issue that I encounter, I see it through the lens of not only a documented individual but also as an undocumented individual. I will see how policies will affect my parents and people that I love who are undocumented,’ said Rodriguez. `In the end, what pushes me is that my parents came to this country, traveling miles to be here. Here I am, scared to do the same thing; I can come back, but my parents can’t. When I realize that, I am maybe fearful, but I cannot let that stop me. Because the same courage that runs in the blood of my parents to be here runs in mine.’”
Click the link above to read the rest of the story.
KJ
