I feel like I was born here: Social identity, political socialization, and deAmericanization

Abstract

Undocumented immigrants who have grown up in America, often called DREAMers, generally grow up unaware of their lack of legal status, thinking of themselves as equal and legitimate members of the polity—as Americans. Scholars have noted the high levels of political activism of DREAMers, often at personal risk of detention and deportation. Negron-Gonzales (Lat Stud 12(2):259–278, 2014) attributes this activism to the tension between their legal (juridical) and lived (subjective) identities; Abrego (Law Soc Rev 45(2):337–339, 2011) attributes it to their sense of belonging and their awareness of existing or possible rights. Here, using a set of 101 in-depth semi-structured interviews, we build on that scholarship to link undocumented Latino youth activism to their need to maintain a positive social identity, and to DREAMers’ powerful psychological identities as Americans. The perspectives shared in those interviews provide important insights into identity formation and identity stickiness and the “undocumented and unafraid” movement.