Exclusion of Non-latinos in the Undocumented immigrant narrative

This has been bothering me for a while now as an undocumented Asian immigrant. I understand that we are a minority in the undocumented population, with an estimated 1.7 million Asians out of the 11 million overall undocumented people in the US. Still, there is plenty of us in California with estimates up to 30% of the state's undocumented population.

I have divided the possible reasons why into 2 points. Note that these are based on my own personal experiences and observations as an Asian person living in Southern California and some articles I have read.

1. Cultural pressures of shame:
There's a lot of shame at being undocumented mostly due to pressures from within the community itself. While Latinos are more open to the idea of being undocumented to other members of their communities, Asians tend to hide their status from even their closest friends. In fact, the Filipino slang for undocumented is "Tago ng tago" which means "keep hiding and hiding". Undocumented filipinos are encouraged to hide their true identity, from authorities and from the other people around them. Being an undocumented Asian in Orange county made it hard for me to tell my friends because I am probably the only one they have met and they do not know how to react. The one friend I told in high school told me in the nicest way possible I might get deported and I should go report myself to the police. My Latino friends on the other hand were barely surprised and even joked about welcoming me to the club.

2. Lack of inclusion or outreach by Latino groups: now this part is controversial and I am sure some people will get defensive about this point.
Since majority of the undocumented population are indeed Latino, most undocumented resource groups and support groups in California and around the country are Latino-led. I understand that since they are the majority, then these resources cater to them, heck they are probably founded by them. With that said, I see a failure by these Latino-based community to outreach and extend a hand to non-Latino groups.
Case in point will be scholarships. As an Asian dreamer, it was very frustrating to search for scholarships for undocumented immigrants only to see that is exclusive for Latino youth only. Again, this can be partly due to my first point and how there's a lack of support from my own community, but it does emphasize the fact that Latinos cover their own.
Another example of feeling excluded are the undocumented resources on campus and in the community. Studies show that in the University of California campuses, Asians are actually a MAJORITY of the undocumented student population. However, everyone hired in the resource center are non-Asians. I checked in other UCs and almost all the undocumented centers have a full Latino staff and Latino student interns. There are limited Asian-language translations offered and these centers have strong relationships with the Latin-American studies department and the Latino clubs on campus, which means a lot of their outreach are centered on that population. I wouldnt know about the free snacks, free meals, free school supplies and other stuff offered by the undocumented center if I didnt have Latino friends.
I also explored further and checked out the job requirement for positions that support undocumented youth, and I was not surprised that a lot of them preferred that the applicant is bilingual in spanish. I even checked a job announcement for an Asian non-profit org that is looking for some outreach coordinator and they still require a spanish speaker. What if there are undocumented asians out there who are actually willing to walk outside the shadows of shame but couldnt find a space to do it because no space is extended for them??


I am not saying there are absolutely no Asian activists in the undocumented community. I have heard of ASPIRE, but they are in the Bay area. I checked the local Orange county undocumented youth group and of course, Asians are not represented (or maybe I just didnt see them). Considering that the concentration of undocumented Asian youth are in LA and Orange county, this was disappointing.
I am disappointed at both my people for not stepping up. I am disappointed for the lack of inclusion of non-Asians in this Latino-dominated narrative. Overall, it is just very lonely and frustrating to be an Asian person trying to claim a small space in the undocumented community.

Challenge the perception - only you can use your voice. This is your story.

Latinos are not 'open' to being undocumented. Latinos believe in our value as human beings; KNOW the value our work creates in this country; we understand that the lack of opportunity to fix status is due to racial bias.

No one has ever treated me prejudicially because I am a Hispanic woman. I don't look conventionally hispanic and don't fit the conventional stereotype culturally or economically. So I tell my family's story.

Join a union group that advocates for immigration solutions. Join a immigrations rights organization for occasional volunteer work so that you can give voice and example to your situation. You don't have to do it full time. Volunteer for community health events. When someone asks you about your plans for the future, say "I'm hoping the DreamAct passes soon". And if that person is curious and cares to know more, if you are comfortable, you can share as little or as much as you want.

The experience might lead them to go home and research the facts about your situation. And they might challenge convention and prejudice on your behalf the next time.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope this gives you a bit of encouragement.

Interesting thoughts. I'm going to infer from your post that you are Filipino (please correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm an undocumented Filipino as well living in L.A. and in my personal experience, I don't feel excluded by Latinx-led activist groups. When it comes to the broader issue of advocating for undocumented immigrants, I feel they have been inclusive and mindful of all undocumented people.

However, some issues really are Latinx-specific and/or impact their community more. And I don't think that addressing Latinx-specific issues somehow detracts from non-Latinx groups.

To address your specific examples: Just because an undocumented Latinx-youth scholarship exists doesn't mean it prevents an undocumented Asian-youth scholarship from existing. They are just addressing a need for their specific community and I don't think they are gatekeeping other undocumented groups from having their own scholarships.

As for undocumented centers having a predominantly Latinx-staff despite having a higher undocumented Asian population: we don't know the full story. We don't know how many people of Asian descent applied for these positions, & we don't know how many undocumented Asian youth stop from going specifically because of a lack of an Asian staff.

Maybe the feelings of exclusion are just that? Feelings? I haven't been turned away by any Latinx-led undocumented groups and they have been understanding, accepting, and supportive.

Nor do I necessarily feel that I have more in common with undocumented Asians than I do with undocumented Latinx just because I crossed the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps this was just the way I grew up in the Philippines, but there was always the reinforcement of the idea that we were culturally/ethnically different from East Asians (e.g. the "singkit" stereotype). I've been mistakenly identified as a Mexican far more than as an Asian.

At the end of the day, we are all on the same boat and I believe that Latinx-led undocumented groups are aware of that. I agree with you that more visibility & perspectives from non-Latinx groups is important but I don't think the Latinx community is somehow standing in the way of that or obstructing it in any way.

I too live in Orange County, and for the most parts it’s Latinos that are undocumented. I can see your frustration on why the other minorities might receive less help than the majority, but I am hopefully we are all allowed to stay here permanently and reap the benefits of this country.

I live in Orange County too, if you ever want to connect... Feel free.

The few latino/hispanic schoolarships I've seen stated somewhere that you didnt need to be a latino to apply. I dont think you have been excluded more than I have.

I am asian.
One if my best friend is also asian.
I have members in my church who are asians.

We are all undocumented. I'll be part of your community.

Be vocal.

I know Africans and Caribbeans aren't who many think of when they hear undocumented, but that's because our numbers are low. But we speak amongst ourselves and if we need to tell our stories, we do.

Speak up. Join. And be the representation you want to see.