III. Achieved Identity of Undocumented Immigrants The achieved identity of an individual is the way in which one feels about his or herself. The way in which one understands his or her belonging. For the case of many undocumented immigrants, their identities vary depending on the time that they have spent living in the U.S. In this section, I asked several children of immigrants what they perceived to be their identity and if they felt that their status as undocumented or their heritage played a major role in who they saw themselves as. According to Kevin, an undocumented immigrant whose family moved here from Mexico when he was just 6 years old, he considers himself more American than Mexican as he has lived the vast majority of his life …show more content…
Many don’t realize that they are undocumented until they attempt to get their driver’s license when they turn sixteen. While all of their peers go on to getting their cars and go to college, many of these kids don’t have the same opportunities to pursue higher education. Kevin agreed and stated that: “I remember that in high school there was a College prep program that did not accept me because they believed that I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. If anything, it motivated to prove them wrong. Getting a job is also something that could be affected by my status. Many employers do not consider employing undocumented students, regardless of their education. Thankfully, the DACA program instituted by Obama has helped me overcome many of these issues.” I found that this was the case for most undocumented immigrants. Their ascribed identity played a role in their role lives. Their achieved identity is not compatible with their ascribed identity, and this can have grave consequences in their lives. Children who have moved here when they were young see themselves as no different than anyone else. Their identity is one of an American-born child with a mixture of their parent’s background. V.