UndocuAsians

Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

Kevin Escudero, Rachel Freeman-Wong

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781978820258
  9781978820265
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978820296
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Immigration Policy
• Index: Social Sciences

Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists' navigation of racialized "illegality," the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword / Ju Hong
• “It’s Okay" / Bo Thai
• Introduction / Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong
• Part One. Historical Context and Theorizing the Nexus of Race and "Illegality"
• Part Two. Community-Based Methodological Approaches and Reclaiming Representations of Asian Undocumented Immigrant Experiences
• Part Three. Family, Faith, and Navigating Higher Education in the United States
• Part Four. Mental Health, Activism, and Community Healing
• Epilogue / Rachel Freeman-Wong and Kevin Escudero
• Appendix
• Acknowledgments
• Notes on Contributors
• Index