Everyday illegal : when policies undermine immigrant families / Joanna Dreby.

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2015]
©2015.

xvi, 287 pages ; 23 cm

"What does it mean to be an illegal immigrant, or the child of immigrants, in this era of restrictive immigration laws in the US? In Everyday Illegal, Joanna Dreby recounts the stories of children and parents in eighty-one families to show what happens when a restrictive immigration system emphasizes deportation over legalization. Interweaving her own experiences, Dreby illustrates how crippling strains can arise in relationships when spouses have different legal statuses. She introduces us to 'suddenly single mothers' who struggle to place food on the table and pay rent after their husbands have been deported. Taking us into the homes and schools of children living in increasingly vulnerable circumstances, she presents families that are divided internally, with some children having legal status while their siblings are unauthorized. As legal status influences identity formation, alters the division of power within families, and affects the opportunities children have outside the home, it becomes a source of inequality that touches us all."--Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

KF4800 .D74 2015

English

9780520283398 cloth
0520283392 cloth
9780520283404 paperback alkaline paper
0520283406 paperback alkaline paper
9780520959279 (ebook)
0520959272 (ebook)