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“I Need this Chance to … Help My Family”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Aspirations of DACA Applicants

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  • Yvonne M. Luna

    (Department of Sociology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

  • T. Mark Montoya

    (Ethnic Studies Program, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

Abstract

This study explores the aspirations of undocumented youth seeking to defer deportation from the United States and obtain temporary employment authorization through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The data are twenty-three letters submitted from 2013–2015 to a nonprofit foundation in the US Southwest that provides financial assistance to pay DACA application fees. Conducted within a narrative framework, analysis of emergent themes reveals a story of hope and family that counters the dominant political story of fear and threat to public safety. Specifically, from the DACA applicant’s standpoint, family is their most valuable form of social capital and by providing the means for employment and the education needed to launch a sustainable career, DACA status provides the leverage required to maximize family capital. Our analysis reveals a disturbing disjuncture between their testimonios and the realities of a policy intended to serve as a safety net. The current political climate makes aspirations like theirs increasingly difficult to achieve and may actually exacerbate legal and social liminality.

Suggested Citation

  • Yvonne M. Luna & T. Mark Montoya, 2019. "“I Need this Chance to … Help My Family”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Aspirations of DACA Applicants," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:8:y:2019:i:9:p:265-:d:268766
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amy Hsin & Francesc Ortega, 2018. "The Effects of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on the Educational Outcomes of Undocumented Students," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(4), pages 1487-1506, August.
    2. Rayen Cornejo Torres & Ariel Rosales Ubeda, 2015. "Objective Structures and Symbolic Violence in the Immigrant Family and School Relationships: Study of Two Cases in Chile," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-26, December.
    3. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Antman, Francisca, 2016. "Can authorization reduce poverty among undocumented immigrants? Evidence from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 1-4.
    4. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Francisca Antman, 2017. "Schooling and labor market effects of temporary authorization: evidence from DACA," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 339-373, January.
    5. Marina Morgenshtern, 2019. "“My Family’s Weight on My Shoulders”: Experiences of Jewish Immigrant Women from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Toronto," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-23, March.
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