1/Next up in my "Immigration and Diversity" series is "How Does It Feel to Be Unwanted?: Stories of Resistance and Resilience from Mexicans Living in the United States", by Eileen Truax.
amazon.com/gp/aw/d/080707…
amazon.com/gp/aw/d/080707…
2/This book is a series of vignettes about Mexican undocumented immigrants to the U.S. It deals mostly with the Obama years, with only a brief mention of Trump.
3/One thing I noticed is how many of the people in these vignettes were fleeing discrimination in Mexico. They tend to be gay, disabled, or indigenous, and they come to America seeking a more liberal society that will accept them more than Mexico did.
4/But upon coming to America, the immigrants' dreams of liberal acceptance are dashed, because of Obama's strict enforcement of immigration law. Once persecuted for being gay, disabled, or indigenous, they now feel persecuted for being undocumented.
5/The book rails against Obama, the "deporter-in-chief". It only briefly mentions that Trump might be even worse.
6/This book is good if you're looking for recent personal stories of undocumented immigrants. It also illustrates the disconnect between would-be immigrants' idealized vision of America and the reality.
7/It also illustrates how enforcement of immigration law can feel like racial persecution. Very important for understanding the activist backlash against Obama's strict policies.
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