as wage theft and unsafe working conditions, are also common experiences. Establishments known as “worker centers” have been established in some areas in an effort to regulate what is otherwise an entirely informal industry.

Worker centers have helped to significantly improve conditions for day laborers. They provide a storefront from which the laborers can operate, providing shelter from the weather, access to restrooms, and other basic amenities. More importantly, they employ teams of bilingual dispatchers who serve as intermediaries between the laborers and their prospective employers, helping to prevent abuses.

Over the next year and a half, Cornejo Villavicencio continued to get to know the day laborers and the individuals who congregated at the worker centers. She notes that the work is difficult, but the people who do it take pride in what they do. However, the financial safety net is thin, and with the political and social climates in America changing, she often worries about those she has met during her interviews.

Cornejo Villavicencio also discusses the malicious idea among many bigoted white people that immigrants have no interest in learning English. She recalls numerous discussions with individuals she has talked to who did everything in their power to gain a greater proficiency with the English language. One man, Julián, expressed that he was often too afraid or embarrassed to accept laboring jobs because he did not speak the language well. As a result of this desire to speak English more fluently, ESL courses and library study groups are often crowded and overfull. However, the stereotype is so deeply embedded in society that even Cornejo Villavicencio herself has encountered it: despite having won awards for writing in English and being a student at Harvard University, she was still discriminated against for not “speaking properly.”

During the course of her interviews, Cornejo Villavicencio meets several men who share their stories of crossing the border and becoming day laborers. Julián used to cross the border often to see his children in Mexico, but eventually his marriage ended and border restrictions became more severe, so now he devotes himself to work. He used to dream about raising a bilingual daughter and being a father who could effectively raise a truly American child, but now he recognizes that that dream is unlikely to come to fruition. Another man named Joaquin used to work for a ferry service. He and the other undocumented men who worked for the company actually helped provide rescue services during the September 11 events at Ground Zero, which is a source of immense pride for Joaquin. However, his boss at the ferry company eventually laid off all of the undocumented workers for fear that he would be fined for employing them illegally. Joaquin regrets not reading the paperwork that he was forced to sign when he was laid off, and he vows to never let himself be taken advantage of without explanation again.

Both Julián and Joaquin were also volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2014. Indeed, Cornejo Villavicencio remarks that day laborers are often some of the first people to volunteer their aid. The Staten Island day laborers organized by the thousands in the aftermath of the disaster in order to help clean up and restore the homes of those affected. Pedro Ituralde, A highly regarded worker center organizer in the Staten Island area, led the effort. However, despite all that the laborers did to help their neighbors, many people still looked down on them. 

Cornejo Villavicencio notes that many of the day laborers she has interviewed have asked her to tell their story in a way that is authentic rather than demeaning or overly inspirational. She promises that she will try. While it is important to acknowledge the imperfect realities that many people live in, it is also important to tell human stories and break people free from stereotypes and news headlines. Cornejo Villavicencio remarks that while undocumented Americans are the subject of a wide range of negative stereotypes, they are also kind and courageous people. She hopes that by telling stories about these instances of courage and kindness, she can help her community “reclaim our dead.”

Analysis

Cornejo Villavicencio outlines what is essentially her thesis statement for writing The Undocumented Americans: she wants to take undocumented people out of the news headlines and instead tell their stories in an authentic, human-centric way. In explaining her decision to exclude DACA recipients and Dreamer activists from her focus, she notes that these individuals already receive a higher degree of media representation. Instead, she wants to explore the less newsworthy side of being undocumented by interviewing those who exist in the true margins of society. This balanced perspective is achieved through a combination that Cornejo Villavicencio dubs “creative nonfiction,” where she combines statistics, historical events, interview testimonials, and poetic speculation into a more comprehensive consideration of the undocumented experience.

Each chapter of the book is focused on a specific location, and chapter 1 centers on Staten Island. Unlike the relatively diverse neighborhoods that make up the rest of urban New York City, Staten Island is a primarily white, reliably Republican region. However, even regions that frequently vote for stricter immigration policies and actively support ICE and deportations rely on undocumented migrant labor. The day laborers whom the author interviews are honest, hardworking people, but Cornejo Villavicencio depicts a largely unflattering picture of their employers. However, because so many undocumented individuals live in constant fear of legal repercussions and deporation, they are relatively powerless to fight back against workplace abuses, wage theft, and outright racism. Fortunately, community activism has provided at least a temporary solution. Figures like Pedro Ituralde have helped establish worker centers, providing dignity, resources, and some forms of regulation for the workers. This draws a distinctive parallel with the ability of labor unions to improve working conditions in other industries, reiterating the power of collective bargaining and community.