From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Literature Review: Immigrant Transnational Families
1.1.1. Tensions and Frictions in Transnational Families
1.1.2. Stigmatizing Scripts and Families as a Social Institution
2. Materials and Methods
3. Findings: Stigmatizing Scripts on the Lives of Undocumented Youth
- Miguel:
- I knew some of my friends that I used to call cousins because we were really close, [they] started getting into things that would land them in trouble and caused problems.
- Eric:
- Like what? What were your cousins doing? ¿cómo qué?
- Miguel:
- Well, you know the maras were already near [our town] and they would send them to do things in Santo Domingo. And they [cousins] began participating.
- Eric:
- And you as well?
- Miguel:
- No, no. But my family thought that because I saw them often and always said hi or something to them, that I too was involved. And that’s why my dad one day called and said, “tomorrow someone is coming to pick you up and you are going to travel with your aunt to come to the [United] States.” And that’s it. Maybe they thought I was going to be a vagabond, a good for nothing, and I understand that, I think.
Family Reunification and Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts
Nunca me he llevado bien con ella. [Ella] siempre quiere que sea una ‘niña sana.’ Antes me quería llevar a su iglesia pero nunca lo quería. Y por mis amigos, o como se veían, pensaba que estaba metida en drogas. Sí, yo fumé varias veces, pero a los 17 quedé embarazada. No le quería decir nada a ella. La mamá de una ‘amiga’ (doing quotes with her fingers) le dijo a mi mamá. Ella me llamó ‘puta,’ slut y que me fuera de la casa.You would not call your daughter a slut, right? That tells you how it is with her [Claudia]3.
So like I would say, like my family, like they doubted me. Especially when I dropped out. Like even my dad when I was going to [the youth center] I was paying rent. I was going to [youth center] and I was working at Five Guys, so I’m paying rent. I was paying my dad rent. Not because, like no big deal, but like, “oh if you’re not in school, you gonna have to pay rent, you working?” and I’m like, “I am in school [in a GED Program]” and he would be like “oh blah blah blah, that ain’t shit, you ain’t even doing shit blah blah blah, this and that.” so like a lot of discouragement... not a lot of support, so yeah. So like I said, like I fucking moved out from my dad’s. I was tired of sharing a room with that man.
4. Discussion and Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
1 | Translation to English is “spoiled” or “bratty.” These meanings, however, are interpreted much more harshly by older family members in Latin America and the Caribbean. |
2 | Translation: commonly used in Central America to describe a small village or hamlet, usually in rural areas. |
3 | “I have never gotten along with her. She always wanted me to be a ‘good little girl.’ Before, she wanted to take me to her church, but I never wanted to. And because of my friends, or because of the way they looked, she thought I was involved in drugs. Yes, I smoked several times, but when I was 17 I became pregnant. I didn’t want to tell my mom anything, but the mom of a ‘friend’ (doing quotes with her fingers) told my mom. She called me a slut, a slut, and that I should leave her house. You would not call your daughter a slut, right? That tells you how it is with her [Claudia]. |
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Macias, E. From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts. Soc. Sci. 2023, 12, 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12020063
Macias E. From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts. Social Sciences. 2023; 12(2):63. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12020063
Chicago/Turabian StyleMacias, Eric. 2023. "From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts" Social Sciences 12, no. 2: 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12020063
APA StyleMacias, E. (2023). From Potential “Nini” to “Drop Out”: Undocumented Young People’s Perceptions on the Transnational Continuity of Stigmatizing Scripts. Social Sciences, 12(2), 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12020063