Western Illinois University political science professor Julia Albarracin raised money in 2017 to help young people renew their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status.
Those applying for the grants she awarded were asked to write an essay about how the scholarship would further their life and career goals.
“And I was very moved by the essays that I received and the stories that these young individuals told me,” Albarracin said.
That inspired her to interview young immigrants for the next several years, resulting in the newly released book, “Young and Undocumented: Political Belonging in Uncertain Times,” published by NYU Press.
The book comes at a time when the Trump administration has detained and deported hundreds of thousands of people it says are in the country illegally.
Albarracin hopes those who read the stories realize that undocumented young people are human beings who are working hard to make it in the U.S. She said many go to college, and those who don’t often work demanding jobs.
“My hope is that these will make people aware of the actual lives, what the life of an undocumented young individual looks like, and realize that they’re not different from any of your children,” Albarracin said.
She doesn’t blame their parents for coming to the U.S to pursue a better life, but added the children didn’t have a say in the matter.
Working to improve the lives of immigrants
In 2019, while Albarracin was still conducting interviews for the book, she founded the 501(c)3 non-profit Western Illinois Dreamers.
“The mission of the organization is to provide information and resources to ease social integration in the United States,” Albarracin said.
For example, she said the organization can help a family that’s new in town to register their children for school. She also said the group now has a legal department that includes an immigration attorney.
Western Illinois Dreamers has offices in Monmouth, Macomb, Beardstown, Peoria, and Springfield.
Albarracin’s work with immigrants has gained attention at the state level.
Last month, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker appointed Albarracin to the Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes, pending Illinois Senate approval.
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