Testimonial Engagement: Undocumented Latina Mothers Navigating a Gendered Deportation Regime

John Doering-White (), Pilar Horner (), Laura Sanders (), Ramiro Martinez (), William Lopez () and Jorge Delva ()
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John Doering-White: University of Michigan
Pilar Horner: Michigan State University
Laura Sanders: University of Michigan, and cofounder of Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR)
Ramiro Martinez: WICIR
William Lopez: University of Michigan
Jorge Delva: University of Michigan

Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2016, vol. 17, issue 2, No 1, 325-340

Abstract: Abstract This community-based qualitative study investigated the real or threatened impact of immigration enforcement on undocumented mothers as they navigate a “gendered deportation regime.” We analyzed seven interviews with undocumented mothers who have experienced the deportation of someone close to them and live under the constant threat of deportation. Based on an inductive, team-based analysis process, we present case examples of four themes that illustrate how undocumented mothers describe their experience negotiating the aftermath and threat of deportation: quality of life, material possibilities, balancing the social, and engaging with advocacy networks. Findings expand on previous research emphasizing the impact of “deportability” on the everyday lives of undocumented immigrants by attending to gendered aspects of immigration enforcement. As a collaborative research team composed of social work faculty, graduate students, and immigrant rights activists, we also critically engage with our attempts to meld research and community organizing in order to illustrate challenges that scholars and social service practitioners face when working with undocumented populations.

Keywords: Undocumented immigrants; Mothers; Deportation; Community organizing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/s12134-014-0408-7

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