Inside Participation, Outside Citizenship: What We Can Learn about Citizenship from Undocumented Youth

Currently in the United States, approximately 2.1 million children and youth are “undocumented” or without legal status. Due to the 1982 Supreme Court Case, Plyler v. Doe, these children have the right to basic education; from kindergarten through high school (K-12), immigration status cannot be checked or used as a means to bar these children from education. Thus, undocumented children and youth are inside participation, but outside citizenship status while growing up in the United States. With qualitative data constructed in conjunction with thirty-three undocumented youth, this chapter explores how participation in everyday life, social activities, and education structures undocumented youth’s understanding and experiences of citizenship. Because this particular immigrant population straddles the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion, their unique experiences allow for fruitful discussion about “lived citizenship,” e.g. citizenship which is defined and earned via participation in everyday life, regardless of legal citizenship status. Empirical findings demonstrate that undocumented children and youth consider themselves to be U.S. citizens precisely because of their inclusion in the educational system and participation in everyday activities―even when they know they are undocumented growing up.