Children of immigrants as “brokers” in an era of exclusion

Abstract

Today, immigrants and their families live in an era of exclusion. Threats of a southern border wall, increased detentions and deportations, false narratives of Mexicans as “rapists,” attempts to eliminate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and the implementation of penalties for immigrants who use social services are just some examples of the hostile climate immigrant families face. A growing body of literature suggests that children of immigrants help their parents in their transition to the US society as language, cultural, and legal brokers, which generally refers to when youth translate for and/or share resources with their immigrant kin. In this paper, I review the research on contemporary children of immigrants as “brokers” and how the punitive social context influences the way brokering takes place in immigrant families. I conclude with suggestions for future research in the study of brokering in immigrant families.