UndocuAsians

Kevin Escuderois an assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Sociology, the Population Studies and Training Center, and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative at Brown University, Rhode Island. He is the author of Organizing While Undocumented: Immigrant Youth's Political Activism under the Law.Rachel Freeman-Wong is a postdoctoral research associate for the Population Studies and Training Center at Brown University, Rhode Island. She has worked with immigrant advocacy organizations including The UndocuScholars Project at UCLA.

"UndocuAsians offers a timely contribution to immigration literature. Historically grounded and conceptually rich, the centerpieces are the revelatory stories of individuals who fight for a more humane system. It urges us toward a compassionate future and to rethink what it means to live as undocumented with dignity, resistance, and hope." - Shelley S. Lee, author of A New History of Asian America "Asian Americans have never been less of a monolith. Our community is more diverse, more complex, and more undocumented than ever before, and UndocuAsians unpacks this state of affairs intimately." - Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen "In a nation marked by its complexity and contradictions, UndocuAsians shines a light on the important yet seldom told stories of undocumented Asian immigrants. This anthology weaves together a rich tapestry of personal reflections and scholarly research from activists and experts. The authors invite you into an intimate space where vulnerability meets resilience. It is not just a book—it is a call to action." - Roberto G. Gonzales, author of Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age in America "While Asians are one of the fastest growing racial groups in the undocumented community, they are often omitted from broader public discourse and academic scholarship. Timely and relevant, each chapter provides an entryway to understand the nuances in the lives of undocumented Asians in a way that humanizes those experiences." - Rose Ann E. Gutierrez, assistant professor of equity and diversity in education, University of Nevada, Reno

• Foreword xiJU HONG"It's Okay" xvBO THAIIntroduction 1KEVIN ESCUDERO AND RACHEL FREEMAN-WONGPART ONEHistorical Context and Theorizing the Nexus of Race and "Illegality"1 Toward a Critical Understanding of the Historical and Sociopolitical Contexts for Asian American College Students in Mixed-Status Im/migrant Families RIKKA DE JOYA VENTURANZA2 Negotiating Racialized "Illegality"JESSICA LAWPART TWOCommunity-Based Methodological Approaches and Reclaiming Representations of Asian Undocumented Immigrant Experiences3 Tsismis/Chisme as an Undocumented Community-Responsive Tool: Co-Conspiratorial Research to ActionTRACY LACHICA BUENAVISTA4 "Not Your Model Minority": Undocumented and Multilingual Asian Activists at the Margins of the UniversitySARA P. LOPEZ AMEZQUITA5 Sacred Silhouettes: The Legacy of Brown Girl Joy ProductionsAMRITPAL KAUR, AMANDEEP KAUR, AND JASPREET KAURPART THREEFamily, Faith, and Navigating Higher Education in the United States6 Given and Chosen Family: The Central Pillar for Undocumented Asian College Students' Value for Civic EngagementCYNTHIA MARIBEL ALCANTAR, RACHEL FREEMAN-WONG, VICTORIA KIM, 'INOKE HAFOKA, TRISHA MAZUMDER, AND SET HERNANDEZ7 "Rooted Around Church": The Role of the Korean Protestant Church in the Lives of Undocumented Korean Young AdultsESTHER YOONA CHO8 Chardi Kala: Resilience and Perseverance Through AdversityPRATISHTHA KHANNA9 Embracing Dreams Against Odds: A DACA Recipient's Reflection on Navigating Higher Education and a Career in STEMZHELIN JEFF LIPART FOURMental Health, Activism, and Community Healing10 The Intersection of Identity: Navigating My Undocumented Asian Experience and Becoming an UndocuAsian Mental Health ProfessionalHUYEN "KIKI" VO11 Recollecting Resistance: A Retrospection on UPLIFT's UndocuAsian Community Organizing During the DACA Era and Trump AdministrationSIYUE LENA WANG AND MADISON VILLANUEVAEpilogueRACHEL FREEMAN-WONG AND KEVIN ESCUDEROAppendixAcknowledgmentsNotes on ContributorsIndex