In this novel, we learn that Deming Guo’s mother, Polly, is an undocumented immigrant who works at a nail salon in the Bronx, New York. Growing up in rural town in China and moving to the United States meant that Polly had to leave Deming Guo with his grandfather in order for Polly to work up enough money for them to live. When the book begins, they are living with Polly’s boyfriend Leon in his predominantly white neighborhood and get judged for speaking a different language and looking different than those around them. These painful consequences are only a small part of the risks that Polly has to live being an undocumented immigrant.
People who immigrate to this country to live are technically supposed to go through a process to become a full citizen and member of our nation. Some, however, do not go through this process for many reasons and live in our country illegally, or without documentation. This affects the entire lifestyle of a person; they constantly live with fear of being deported or getting in trouble. The country of the United States has changed over the course of our history in regard to undocumented immigrants and their lifestyles, but not much.
Through research about undocumented immigrants in America, I found that a study in 2014 provides evidence that “undocumented immigration has not increased the prevalence of drug or alcohol problems”, which is one positive side of the research. However, an article about undocumented children’s mental health written in 2013 states there is evidence of a connection in decline of mental and emotional health in these children due to their situation. When focusing on articles written over 30 years ago, I found that the country was much less focused on the positive aspects that can come with immigrants, undocumented or documented, and were definitely not focusing on the mental and emotional health of their children. The political climate of the time was focused on the theme that immigrants did not belong.
Through reading The Leavers, you get insight into the lives of both undocumented parents and children and the struggles that they have to face in their everyday lives to stay in this country and life a happy life.
Free, Janese L., et al. “Harvesting Hardships: Educators’ Views on the Challenges of Migrant Students and Their Consequences on Education.” Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 47, no. Part 3, Dec. 2014, pp. 187–197. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.08.013.
Gonzales, R. G., et al. No Place to Belong: Contextualizing Concepts of Mental Health Among Undocumented Immigrant Youth in the United States. 2013. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0002764213487349.
Light, Michael T., et al. “Undocumented Immigration, Drug Problems, and Driving Under the Influence in the United States, 1990-2014.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 107, no. 9, Sept. 2017, pp. 1448–1454. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303884.
Hi Cameron!
I enjoyed reading your post. I think the study that mentions a correlation between immigrant children and mental health is very interesting. It is important for our country to recognize the impact of removing a child from its mother at such a young age.