How undocumented youth activists changed the way we discuss immigrant rights

In this episode, we explored how undocumented youth activists are reshaping the conversation around immigrant rights in the U.S. We heard insights from ASU Professor Rafael A. Martinez, an expert in Southwest Borderlands at Arizona State University’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts.

In his new book, “Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the US,” Martinez examined the rise of undocumented youth social movements and their significant influence in the 21st century.

Martinez said he wanted to use the title and the word “illegalized” and legality as a framework to spend time showcasing how the U.S. as a government spends a lot of time, energy, effort, resources and taxpayer dollars to be able to document the undocumented population in the country. He also wanted to highlight the different ways undocumented immigrants live and how they change the narrative and association between legality and criminalization.

“Undocumented youth wanted to spend the time showing how the U.S. government uses legality as a rhetorical framework to be able to justify violating human rights, violations in places like detention centers along the borderlands and many other communities,” Martinez said. “Legality was a good way to be able to show both sides of the equation.”