The immigration system is broken. This is a common refrain from both sides of the political spectrum. But, what does a broken system look like in practice, especially for the most vulnerable migrants? To answer this question, Emily Ruehs-Navarro explores the experience youth migrants have when they immigrate to the United States. Young migrants face a very particular set of institutions and social service providers, from the immigration shelters that detain them, to the attorneys who help to build their legal cases, to the educators who receive them in their new communities. These institutions must navigate the broken terrain of the system, straddling contradictory ideas of care and criminalization. In this talk, Ruehs-Navarro highlights the contradictions of the immigration system from the perspective of both migrant youth and the professionals who work with them.

Emily Ruehs-Navarro is an assistant professor of sociology at Elmhurst University. She is the author of the new book Unaccompanied: The Plight of Immigrant Youth with New York University Press. She has been an advocate for the rights of migrants for the past decade in various capacities, including as a researcher, interpreter, case manager, and a child advocate.