UC Irvine

Children of immigrants help their parents integrate into U.S. society as language and cultural brokers, which generally refers to when youth translate for and/or share resources with their immigrant kin. Much of this work centers on children, limiting our understanding of how children of immigrants continue this brokering responsibility as they become adults. My dissertation, Brokering in Latinx Families: How Adult Children of Immigrants Facilitate Integration for their Parents, examines how 1.5 and 2nd-generation Latinx children of immigrants serve as brokers for their families as they transition into adulthood. Coming of age represents a critical time in young adults lives as they begin a journey of self-exploration and individual development; however, for many Latinx young adults, growing up involves reconfiguring their brokering responsibilities and leveraging their resources to help their families.

This dissertation builds upon theories of immigrant incorporation, illegality, and brokering roles to elucidate how 1.5 and 2nd-generation Latinx young adults broker inclusion and belonging for themselves and their families as they come of age. Adulthood provided participants with the power and resources to serve as advocates when brokering on behalf of their parents. However, not all brokers were able to champion for their parents in the same way. For instance, legal status complicated the brokering that took place in undocumented families, forcing young adults to perform language, cultural, and legal brokering. Providing this advocacy takes a toll on young adults as they navigate how to best support their parents on top of their own responsibilities. This project underscores the labor of Latinx young adults and how their brokering is a key element in the incorporation pathways of Latinx families.