Analysis: The Undocumented Youth Movement

The Undocumented Youth Movement has prevailed through the years and it has effectively questioned the authority of the government. Both the undocumented youth and the immigration rights activists have focus their attention on keeping families together by pushing the government to stop deportations. Through the use of nonviolence strategies, both movements have begun to flourish and succeed in some cases. They have expressed their stories to the public to bring awareness to the undocumented community, who are often times afraid of leaving their own homes. People are beginning to come out of the shadows and stand up for what they believe, they are no longer afraid nor ashamed of who they are. As time has passed, the immigrant youth movement has

However, in 2010 there was a rise of public demonstrations were a young activist were beginning to voluntarily expose their status as being undocumented. The undocumented youth were ready to stand up for their right to be treated equality just like any other America. The only difference has always been that they were not born in this country, but apart from that many times they have grown up in America, calling this country their home. They are no longer afraid and have began to bring awareness to communities about what is occurring and bringing attention to the injustices that are often overseen. While their parents stayed in the shadows, these undocumented youths are publicly presenting themselves as undocumented, showing their faces and names in actions and are having interviews recorded by media (Eisema, Fiorito, Sieburth 31). Every time DREAMers, which stands for Developmental, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, try to stand up for their rights through civil disobedience, they are risking arrest and possible deportation, but this is just to show that they are confident in themselves and their goals. Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey certain laws or governmental demands for the purpose of influencing legislation or governmental policy, characterized by the employment of such nonviolent techniques as

The Undocumented Youth Movement has focused on telling their personal stories as their most important tool because people are then forced to see that the lives of the undocumented youth have not been just or equal to the rest of the Americans. In every action, press event, and one-on-ones, movement organizers not only tell their own story, but they also speak about the movement and how they have moved from only speaking about the injustices to acting and pushing to a better tomorrow (Gonzalez, “The Strategy and Organizing...”). They have lived all their lives as Americans, so the ideals and values of America are engraved into their stories. Another component of the movement has been the planning of dilemma actions, which are strategically planned events that place the movement’s target or opponent in a dilemma in which no matter his response, the movement’s strategic goal is advanced (Gonzalez, “The strategy and Organizing…”). DREAMers studied the nonviolent tactics and used the lessons of Reverend Lawson and his trainings on nonviolence to have successful sit-ins. They presented a dilemma to the Obama administration and other important legislators about passing the Dream Act. Through a series of nonviolent movements and strategies the undocumented youth expressed their concern for the