There are only a handful of moments in our nation’s history when people without citizenship or voting rights have changed government policy. It happened during emancipation, woman suffrage, and civil rights, and it’s happening again right now with undocumented immigrant organizing.
"Citizenship for all . . . legalizing . . . 11 million undocumented . . . it's the vision of a more collective, more inclusive community."
–Jung Woo Kim, Organizing Director, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
Debates around undocumented youth populations have attracted mass media attention since the early 2000s, with images of mostly young, high achieving students advocating for passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act or pushing for creation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) through civil disobedience to stop deportations. But undocumented organizing is much larger, more diverse, and more complex than the headlines suggest.
What does it mean to be undocumented?
Immigrants who lack legal residency status in the form of citizenship or visas are considered “undocumented.” Being undocumented prohibits or severely limits access to higher education, housing, medical care, social services, labor protections, and legal services, among other resources. Without access to citizenship, undocumented individuals are subject to surveillance and deportation.