“Estaba Bien Chiquito” (I Was Very Young): The Pathways to Adulthood of Undocumented Adolescent Arrivals

Background and Purpose: A segment of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States arrive as children and transition to adulthood in the States. Undocumented childhood arrivals face unique challenges transitioning to adulthood due to exclusive immigration policies. Emerging scholarship has shed light on their experiences; however, available knowledge derives primarily from the experiences of children who arrived prior to adolescence. Although youth also immigrate during adolescence, an absence of scholarship exists on the experiences of undocumented adolescent arrivals. This gap is troubling given the potential disproportionate number of challenges adolescent arrivals may encounter. This paper addresses this gap and seeks to understand the pathways to adulthood of undocumented adolescent arrivals, what shapes those pathways, and their subjective meanings.

Methods: This qualitative study employs the method of narrative inquiry which views storytelling as a meaning making activity and prioritizes data in the form of stories. The purposive sample consists of 30 Mexican and Central American undocumented or DACAmented young adults (ages 18 to 35) who immigrated during adolescence (ages 13 to 17). Participants were recruited via personal, professional, and organizational networks. In-depth semi-structured interviews focused on their pre-and-post migration experiences were conducted with participants. Interview data were transcribed verbatim in the language conducted and analyzed using ATLAS.ti via thematic and narrative coding methods.

Findings:  Undocumented adolescent arrivals experience a host of challenges in the United States related to language, social isolation, family dynamics, and untreated trauma. Nonetheless, their pathways to adulthood diverge in important ways with enrollment in high school and gender as salient shaping forces. Upon arrival, approximately half of the participants enrolled in high school while the remaining never enrolled and did not graduate. High school enrollment shaped their pathways by providing spaces for social interaction with peers and adults, access to resources, opportunities to learn English, and in some cases lead to college attainment. Completing high school also created eligibility for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) which provides access to legal employment. In contrast, participants who never enrolled in high school transitioned into adult roles by entering full-time work, becoming financially independent, and having children. This pathway provided fewer opportunities to learn English, interact with peers, access support from adults, and connect to resources. In addition, lacking a high school diploma made them ineligible for DACA and further constrained their work and educational possibilities. Moreover, gender played an important role among the never enrolled participants. Never-enrolled female participants tended to become parents during adolescence, experience domestic violence, and struggle accessing supports and resources to attain independence.

Conclusion and Implications: This study contributes to addressing the gap in knowledge on the experiences of undocumented adolescent arrivals and shows the importance of school enrollment and gender in shaping their pathways into adulthood. Knowledge on the experiences, challenges, and vulnerabilities of undocumented adolescent arrivals can assist stakeholders—including schools, social service organizations, legal advocates, and policymakers—to better support and promote their well-being.