Case Study 03: Diversity Of Profiles (Dreamers/DACA, Asylum Seekers)
- Eileen Truax
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
By Eileen Truax
Article: "Dreamers and Asylum Seekers: The Other Faces of Deportation" Published in: Americas Quarterly Section/Category: Immigration, Feature Published Date: April 28, 2017 Author: Eileen Truax |
1. Context
Central theme: The article addresses the human consequences of deportation in the United States, focusing on two specific groups: asylum seekers and young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers, recipients of the DACA program.
Social/political/economic/cultural context:
● The immigration debate in the United States during the transition from the Obama administration to that of Donald Trump was marked by the tightening of immigration policies, the increase in deportations, and uncertainty about the future of the DACA program.
● Families who migrate from Mexico to the United States often do so forcibly due to phenomena such as violence. This increases the vulnerability of families living with irregular immigration status, because the possibility of deportation would force them to return to the violent environment from which they have fled.
● There is an impossibility for young people who came to the United States as minors to obtain regular immigration status, despite the years they have been living in that country and repeated attempts to pass legislation in this regard.
Background to the news event:
● The Obama administration was responsible for approximately 400,000 deportations a year during its first term, an all-time high that created a climate of constant fear among immigrant families.
● DACA was an executive action signed by Obama in 2012 to protect nearly two million young immigrants who arrived as children (Dreamers). It benefited more than 750,000 young people at the time of publication, but it did not offer a path to citizenship; it only provided temporary relief.
● Trump's arrival intensified the existing fear, with stricter policies, such as tightening the definition of "criminal", streamlining deportation processes, and stricter enforcement of immigration laws.
Relevance or topicality of the topic:
● There is uncertainty among millions of immigrants about their future and that of their families.
● It is part of the debate on human rights, asylum, and the need for legal recognition of young immigrants in the United States without regular immigration status.
● It dismantles the idea that deported people are criminals or have a single profile.
2. Narrative structure
Lead: How is the main information presented?
● The text presents the case of a family of Mexican origin in which the parents are asylum seekers in the United States and the teenage son is a U.S. citizen.
● The case helps dismantle the belief that those living in the United States without documents do not follow the proper processes to regularize their immigration status, or that they are criminals.
● The portrait of an average family generates empathy and brings the reader closer to the situation of those who are waiting for a resolution of their asylum case.
Body of the note (How does the story unfold?):
● Development of the story of the Yaujar-Amaro family, giving context not only to the legal obstacles in the United States, but also to the reasons why they cannot live safely in Mexico.
● Transition from the story of Amaro, who came to the United States as a minor, to that of another young woman who also arrived without documents as a minor and who has not been able to regularize her immigration status, to describe the case of the Dreamers. The diversity of reasons for the lack of documents is emphasized.
● A combination of general data on migration, with the political context and direct first-person testimonies.
Closing: How does the text end? (With data, reflection, quote?)
● It ends with a quote from Yunuen, the young Dreamer, in which she claims her identity and shows her will to resist.
● It reinforces the emotional and political tone of the testimonies in the face of the advance of restrictive migration policies.
3. Use of narrative resources: (descriptions, testimonies, hard data)
● First-person testimonies from people who could be subject to deportation, highlighting their personal stories and providing context to their irregular status.
● Quantitative and qualitative data (number of deportations and undocumented youth; description of the legal process that does not offer a real alternative for regularization).
● Contrast between two vital moments (life in the country of origin, construction of a future in the United States).
● Photograph of a young undocumented woman, who is part of the photographic project of Yunuen, the young woman who shares her testimony.
4. Fonts and voices
Number and type of sources: (official, expert, citizen, documentary)
● Two direct testimonies that explain the cases described in the note.
● Government Agency Data
Diversity and balance of voices:
● The voice of the people affected (asylum-seeking family, undocumented parents of a U.S. citizen, young Dreamer) is clearly amplified*.
● It offers political and legal context as a counterpoint to show that the legislation itself lacks mechanisms to regularize people's migratory status or that its processes are slow.
● There are no official or expert voices
*Important: remember that although there is a cliché that the journalist "gives voice" to people, people have a voice of their own; the journalist only amplifies these voices.
Verifiability: Are sources cited clearly and supported?
● The sources are well identified (real names, personal stories).
● Official reports and data are cited. Clear context and background are given.
5. Language and style
Language resources: (metaphors, adjectives, direct quotes, technicalities)
● Narrative language, construction of scenes, appeals to emotion.
● Moderate use of descriptive metaphors: "packed like sardines".
● Direct first-person quotes that generate empathy and connect with the audience.
● Accessible, humanizing journalistic language; Avoid excessive technicalities.
6. Image Use
Photographs/graphics/videos: What function do they serve? Text-image relationship
● It includes a photograph of a young undocumented woman.
● The photograph is part of the project to document young Dreamers by one of the protagonists of the story, Yunuen Bonaparte, which gives the image a special meaning and helps to profile the interviewee.
7. Critical analysis
Communicative intention: What do you seek to generate in the reader?
It seeks to sensitize the reader to the impact of deportations on the daily lives of affected people; to highlight the contradictions of restrictive migration policies; and to expose the diversity of factors that lead a person to lack regular immigration status.
Potential Impact:
● Generate or reactivate a conversation about the effects of migration policies and the lack of regularization options on the most vulnerable people.
● Influence public perception of the effects of deportation policy, humanizing those who could suffer it.
● To provide arguments for the work of activist organizations.
Ethical aspects: (privacy, stigmatization, anonymous sources)
● Real people are quoted (a mother, a young Dreamer), which requires consent and sensitivity; the article handles the testimonies ethically and responsibly.
● It gives strength to the emotional charge of the stories without falling into sensationalism.
● Good balance between arguments and emotions.
8. Valuation
Strengths of the article:
● It puts a face and names to a meaningless immigration policy through deep personal stories. Humanize statistics.
● It points to the particularities of a population that usually presents itself as a homogeneous mass of people.
● It provides context to each of the stories to understand the causes of the protagonists' migration and, therefore, the risks they would face in the event of deportation.
● It offers direct, well-contextualized testimonies, with information and data.
Opportunities for improvement:
● Include official voices or expert analysis to complement the data and testimonies offered.
● Incorporate more photographs of the project of the young Dreamer, whose testimony is shared, to increase the possibility of connection with the reader and give greater visibility to the work of the interviewee.
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