Doctoral Dissertation Research: Immigration Law and Civic Embeddedness

博士论文研究：移民法与公民嵌入

• 批准号: 1434669
• 负责人: Cynthia Feliciano
• 金额: $ 1.19万
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2015-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1434669&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Immigration; Law

SES-1434669Cynthia FelicianoEdelina BurciagaUniversity of California IrvineThis dissertation research addresses a central topic in American public and intellectual discourse: the immigrant experience. This study specifically examines the integration experiences of the undocumented 1.5-generation. These are immigrants who came to the United States as children and yet remain without legal authorization. Current estimates suggest that approximately 1.8 million undocumented young people live in the United States. Distinct from the 1st generation who immigrated as adults and the 2nd generation who are similarly children of immigrants but are U.S. citizens, the undocumented 1.5-generation have developed values, identities, and aspirations that are influenced by growing up American, but are also impacted by the practical reality of living "illegally" in the United States. This dissertation study seeks to explain how the undocumented 1.5-generation manage and negotiate this legal and social paradox. In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, state laws and policies have become increasingly salient in shaping the immigrant experience and immigrant integration. Employing a direct comparative research design of Latino undocumented young adults (24-34 years old) in Los Angeles, California (an established immigrant destination) and Atlanta, Georgia (a new immigrant destination), the dissertation examines if and how state policy contexts shape the incorporation pathways of the Latino undocumented 1.5-generation. It specifically asks how the experiences of undocumented young adults in Los Angeles compare to those who grow up in the Atlanta area? In-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork will be used to trace and compare four key aspects of social and economic incorporation; (1) educational pathways, (2) participation in the labor market, (3) participation in civics and activism (civic embeddedness), and (4) sense of belonging and identity development.This is a critical question to understand precisely because members of the undocumented 1.5-generation face narrowing opportunities as they transition to adulthood. The research hypothesizes that these opportunities are profoundly shaped by restrictive or expansive state policy climates. To date, Georgia has been one of the most aggressive states to limit the legal rights of undocumented immigrants while California has expanded legal rights. The positive theoretical impact of this project is to explain the mechanisms by which these divergent state law and policy contexts influence the social and economic mobility of the undocumented 1.5-generation, a group who for all intents and purposes are "American" but for their legal status. The results of this study will directly contribute to previous studies about immigrant incorporation in the field of sociology and law and social science studies. By comparing California and Georgia this project will contribute to public and legal understandings about the role and responsibilities of states to enforce and enact immigration law, and the implications of these laws for the social and economic mobility of the undocumented 1.5-generation.

这篇论文研究了美国公共和知识分子话语中的一个中心话题：移民经历。本研究特别考察了1.5代无证移民的融合经历。这些移民是在儿童时期来到美国的，但仍然没有合法授权。目前的估计表明，大约有180万无证年轻人生活在美国。与成年后移民的第一代移民和同样是移民子女但已成为美国公民的第二代移民不同，1.5代无证移民的价值观、身份认同和抱负受到美国人成长过程的影响，但也受到在美国“非法”生活的实际现实的影响。本论文旨在解释无证的1.5代人如何管理和处理这种法律和社会悖论。在缺乏全面移民改革的情况下，州法律和政策在塑造移民经历和移民融合方面变得越来越突出。本文采用直接比较研究设计，对加利福尼亚州洛杉矶（既定移民目的地）和佐治亚州亚特兰大（新移民目的地）的拉丁裔无证年轻人（24-34岁）进行了研究，探讨了国家政策背景是否以及如何塑造了1.5代拉丁裔无证移民的融入途径。它特别询问洛杉矶无证年轻人的经历与那些在亚特兰大地区长大的人相比如何？深入访谈和民族志实地考察将用于追踪和比较社会和经济结合的四个关键方面；(1)教育途径，(2)参与劳动力市场，(3)参与公民和行动主义（公民嵌入），以及(4)归属感和身份发展。这是一个需要准确理解的关键问题，因为无证的1.5代移民在向成年过渡的过程中面临着越来越少的机会。该研究假设，这些机会受到限制性或扩张性国家政策气候的深刻影响。迄今为止，乔治亚州一直是限制无证移民合法权利最积极的州之一，而加利福尼亚州则扩大了合法权利。该项目的积极理论影响是解释这些不同的州法律和政策背景如何影响1.5代无证移民的社会和经济流动性的机制，这一群体在所有意图和目的上都是“美国人”，但他们的法律地位不同。本研究结果将对社会学、法学和社会科学领域的移民融合研究有直接的贡献。通过比较加州和乔治亚州，该项目将有助于公众和法律对国家在执行和制定移民法方面的作用和责任的理解，以及这些法律对1.5代无证移民的社会和经济流动性的影响。