Contested Americans - (Latina/O Sociology) by Cassaundra Rodriguez (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Contested Americans tells the story of how undocumented immigrants and Americans in mixed-status families strive to belong in the country they call home, while navigating harmful myths about them, immigration policies, and racism"--

Book Synopsis

Honorable Mention, Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award, given by the Latino/a Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association

2023 C. Wright Mills Award Finalist

Reveals the impossible choices and downright terror mixed-status families often face for their loved
ones

Living in a mixed-status immigrant family might mean that your grandmother could be deported at any moment, your son could be arrested at work, or your mother's deportation hearing is postponed--again. Such uncertainty and fear are the reality of life for mixed-status families--those that include both undocumented immigrants and US citizens. In Contested Americans, Cassaundra Rodriguez explores how members of mixed-status families experience and articulate belonging in the United States. The sixteen million people in the US who fall under this classification share the fear of a family member's possible deportation or the anxiety of leaving behind a child or elderly relative.

Rodriguez highlights how different members of the same mixed-status families mediate undocumented statuses while maintaining the collective whole of a family. For many young adults, this may mean negotiating the sponsorship of their immigrant parents, and for the parents, planning for the emotional, physical, and financial well-being of their children in case of deportation.

Contested Americans is a timely book, filled with vivid storytelling, that shows how immigration policies, racism, and privilege collide in the backdrop of the lives of millions of mixed-status families.

Review Quotes

"This well-written book allows those interviewed to speak for themselves, giving readers a rich sense of their hopes, fears, and uncertainties."-- "CHOICE"

"This inspiring and engaging book develops an excellent analysis that constitutes an outstanding example of what Cecilia Menjívar and Leisy Abrego call "legal violence" against immigrant communities in the United States."-- "Ethnic and Racial Studies"

"Rodriguez's engaging, captivating, and straightforward writing style makes this book accessible and relatable to the educators (including those teaching urban studies), social workers, researchers, and anyone who wants to learn more about immigrants, especially mixed-status families. This book can be a powerful resource for shaping immigration and other urban policies prioritizing family unity."-- "Journal of Urban Affairs"

"Contested Americans takes readers deep into the dreams, struggles, and survival strategies of Mexican mixed-status families in Los Angeles. Through powerful and humanizing prose, Rodriguez shows the ways in which US-citizen young adults navigate family illegality while maintaining a commitment to their loved ones and resisting racism and anti-immigrant policies. Clearly and beautifully written, and infused with novel insights about contemporary immigrant family life."-- "Leah Schmalzbauer, co-author of Immigrant Families"

"Contested Americans underscores the in-between legal boundaries navigated by the adult children of mixed families. Through vivid accounts, Rodriguez presents the poignant story of both privileges and responsibility as these citizens are impacted by changing immigration policies and discrimination. A must-read for immigration and family scholars"-- "Mary Romero, author of Introducing Intersectionality"

"A comprehensive and compelling analysis of the impact of immigration laws and policies on the lives of the adult citizen children of undocumented immigrants. Rodriguez masterfully argues that these young adults experience multigenerational punishment as their parents' truncated path to legality fuels anxiety, unloads economic and emotional responsibility, and challenges their own birthright claims to national membership. Using a rich methodology, deep analysis, and a solid theoretical stance, Rodriguez's powerful and engaging narrative reveals the continuous limits of citizenship for US-born members of mixed-status families."-- "Nilda Flores-González, author of Citizens but Not Americans"

"Theoretically compelling, rigorously researched, and compellingly argued, Contested Americans shines a bright light on contemporary US immigration and Latino families' efforts to carve out a space within the political and cultural fabric of the nation. Cassaundra Rodriguez is a bold new voice in immigration scholarship whose ideas will have resonance for some time to come."-- "Roberto G. Gonzales, author of Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America"

About the Author

Cassaundra Rodriguez is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.