The Undocumented Americans

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio has a unique voice and perspective on the plight of undocumented immigrants within the USA and I appreciated how she blends many immigrants stories with her own personal experiences throughout The Undocumented Americans. I was reminded of Marcos Gonsalez' work, Pedro's Theory, in the way Villavicencio seeks to counter traditional myths and misconceptions, especially those propagated by right-wing media outlets, in order to show the truth about the outrageously unfair way that undocumented immigrants are forced to live. I was appalled to learn, for example, that the IRS has created a system by which these people can pay taxes without having a social security number, yet even decades worth of tax payments has no bearing on a court's decision if an individual is suddenly targeted for deportation. This is just one of the myriad ways in which the American system is stacked against undocumented immigrants, but America would seriously struggle to function without their labour. The paradox makes for a disturbing situation to be stuck in and I was amazed at the strength of character needed to continue working, raising children and living under such stress for years and years.

I felt that The Undocumented Americans allows a valuable insight into a massive social disaster that I am sure many documented Americans would rather simply ignore. The book is unfortunately let down by occasional factual errors (such as the year of Hurricane Sandy), but I loved how Villavincencio so deftly captures the individual personalities of the people she portrays. I never felt as though I was being asked to pity these people, but simply to actually see them for themselves.Their stories are frequently heartbreakingly sad, and it wouldn't take much of a change in the American mindset to legalise these thousands of workers in a dignified and humane way. However, similarly to the way in which 'illegals' are demonised by politicians and the media here in the UK, their political capital as a scare tactic continues to outweigh the real economic, communal and humanitarian contributions undocumented immigrants make.

I enjoyed this book, especially the paragraphs where Cornejo Villavicencio breaks the fourth wall a bit and reaches out fo the book to shake you the shoulders. Here's one such bit from the end of the book:

I follow my own advice while trying to hold off on the suicidal ideation while trying to be as socially fucking mobile as socially fucking possible and then these kids fucking find me, and what do I do, but invite them into my heart and tell them, babes, go to school, climb the ranks, kill the salutatorian, make it look like an accident, and in your valedictory address, remind your school that cops are pigs, and ICE are Nazis, and you are John at the foot of the cross, Jesus’s most loved apostle, maybe his lover, and you’re in the holy word, escape to my home for some chamomile tea and RuPaul, there will always be room for you, I love you and forever will.

Though at times found myself wishing it took a more systematic view of what being undocumented in America means.