From the Bookshelves: UndocuAsians: Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora. Edited by Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong (Rutgers University Press, 2026)

From the Bookshelves:  UndocuAsians:  Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora.  Edited by Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong  (Rutgers University Press, 2026)

UndocuAsians

Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora

Edited by Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong

UndocuAsians:Lived Experiences and Social Movement Activism Across the Diaspora. Edited by Kevin Escudero and Rachel Freeman-Wong

Contributors: Ju Hong (Foreword by); Cynthia M. Alcantar, Rachel Freeman-Wong, Victoria Kim, ‘Inoke Hafoka, Trisha Mazumder, Set Hernandez, Sara P. Alvarez, Tracy Lachica Buenavista, Esther Yoona Cho, Kevin Escudero, Amandeep Kaur, Amritpal Kaur, Jaspreet Kaur, Pratishtha Khanna, Jessica Law, Zhelin Li, Bo Thai, Rikka J. Venturanza, Huyen "Kiki" Vo, Siyue Lena Wang, and Madison Villanueva

Publisher's Pitch:

Asian immigrants comprise over 10% of the national undocumented immigrant population and Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States today. Asian undocumented communities, alongside their Latinx and Black undocumented counterparts, have also emphasized the importance of their racial/ethnic identities alongside their immigrant legal status in their organizing. UndocuAsians tells the story of the contemporary US immigrant rights movement with a focus on Asian undocumented immigrant narratives drawing on personal reflections and research studies by self-identified undocuAsian organizers and scholars from Asian immigrant backgrounds. Topics discussed in the volume include activists’ navigation of racialized “illegality,” the importance of chosen and biological family, pathways in the pursuit of higher education, the role of faith communities in the lives of Asian undocumented immigrants, and healing. Combined, these essays provide a diverse portrait of the vibrant, powerful community of Asian undocumented immigrants today.

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