ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author suggest that greater attention needs to be paid to the ways in which 1.5 generation Latinxs experience childhood 'illegality'. Central to this study are the first-hand perspectives of child and youth migrants and the pivotal roles which parents, siblings and peers play in generation 1.5 Latinx's experiences of childhood 'illegality'. Valentina, a university student, also explained that her US-born siblings, who are ten years younger than her, had very different childhood experiences than she did, on the basis of the differences in their legal status. In this chapter the author aim has been to provide insight into undocumented 1.5 generation youth's experiences of childhood 'illegality' and their family relationships. Participants’ relationships with family members, as members of mixed status families and children of unauthorised parents, also shaped how they experienced everyday ‘illegality’ during childhood.
