Laura E. Enriquez. Of Love and Papers: How Immigration Policy Affects Romance and Family

via Zoom

How are immigration policies reshaping Latino families? Drawing on two waves of interviews with undocumented young adults, Enriquez investigates how immigration status creeps into the most personal aspects of everyday life, intersecting with gender to constrain family formation. The imprint of illegality remains, even upon obtaining DACA or permanent residency. Interweaving the perspectives of US citizen romantic partners and children, Enriquez illustrates the multigenerational punishment that limits the upward mobility of Latino families. Of Love and Papers sparks an intimate understanding of contemporary US immigration policies and their enduring consequences for immigrant families.

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Laura E. Enriquez is Associate Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on the educational, political, and social experiences of undocumented young adults and members of mixed-status families. Dr. Enriquez is Principle Investigator on the Undocumented Student Equity Project and the UC Collaborative to Promote Immigrant and Student Equity; both are collaborative research initiatives that examine how immigration policies disrupt the educational experiences and wellbeing of undocumented college students and students from mixed-status families. She is currently a National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow.