UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora
Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists’ navigation of racialized “illegality,” the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.
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UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora
Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists’ navigation of racialized “illegality,” the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.
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UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

Overview

Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists’ navigation of racialized “illegality,” the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781978820258
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Publication date: 01/13/2026
Pages: 220
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

KEVIN ESCUDERO is an assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Sociology, the Population Studies and Training Center, and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University, Rhode Island. He is the author of Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth's Political Activism under the Law.

RACHEL FREEMAN-WONG is a postdoctoral research associate for the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, Rhode Island. She has worked with immigrant advocacy organizations including The UndocuScholars Project at UCLA.
 

Table of Contents

Contents
Foreword - Ju Hong
It’s Okay - Bo Thai 
Introduction - Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong

Part I: Historical Context and Theorizing the Nexus of Race and “Illegality”
Chapter 1: Toward a Critical Understanding of the Historical and Sociopolitical Contexts for Asian American College Students in Mixed-Status Im/migrant Families - Rikka De Joya Venturanza                                                    
Chapter 2: Negotiating Racialized “Illegality” - Jessica Law 

Part II: Community Based Methodological Approaches and Reclaiming Representations of Asian Undocumented Immigrant Experiences       
Chapter 3: Tsismis/Chisme as an Undocumented Community-Responsive Tool: Co-Conspiratorial Research to Action - Tracy Lachica Buenavista     
Chapter 4: “Not Your Model Minority”: Undocumented and Multilingual Asian Activists at the Margins of the University - Sara P. Lopez Amezquita  Chapter 5: Sacred Silhouettes: The Legacy of Brown Girl Joy Productions - Amritpal Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, and Jaspreet Kaur 

Part III: Family, Faith, and Navigating Higher Education in the United States
Chapter 6: Given and Chosen Family: The Central Pillar for Undocumented Asian College Students’ Value for Civic Engagement - Cynthia Maribel Alcantar, Rachel Freeman-Wong, Victoria Kim, ‘Inoke Hafoka, Trisha Mazumder, and Set Hernandez
Chapter 7: “Rooted Around Church”: The Role of the Korean Protestant Church in the Lives of Korean Undocumented Young Adults - Esther Yoona Cho
Chapter 8: Chardi Kala: Resilience and Perseverance through Adversity - Pratishtha Khanna                                                                         
Chapter 9: Embracing Dreams Against Odds: A DACA Recipient’s Reflection on Navigating Higher Education and a Career in STEM - Zhelin Jeff Li  

Part IV: Mental Health, Activism, and Community Healing
Chapter 10: The Intersection of Identity: Navigating My Undocumented Asian Experiences and Becoming an UndocuAsian Mental Health Professional - Huyen “Kiki” Vo       
Chapter 11: Recollecting Resistance: A Retrospection on UPLIFT’s UndocuAsian Community Organizing during the DACA Era and Trump Administration - Siyue Lena Wang and Madison Villanueva
Epilogue - Rachel Freeman-Wong and Kevin Escudero                                               

Appendix
Acknowledgments
Notes on Contributors
Index
From the B&N Reads Blog
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