Creating Contingency Plans

Another phenomenon I occasionally encountered in discussions with 1.5GUY was the presence of what I call “contingency plans” or specific discussions and instructions from parents about what to do in the case of an emergency, e.g. in the case that a parent unexpectedly did not return home or if immigration authorities were present at one’s home. The everyday presence of these contingency plans indicates that for the 1.5GUY, the private sphere and the family home is neither always nor necessarily a place of safety, stability, or comfort, but rather one that can be subject to intense scrutiny, uncertainty, and insecurity.

As Isabel explained that she knew precisely what to do should she come home and see immigration authorities at her home, she also recalled the everyday fear she grew up with as a result of ULS:

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This is the mentality I was raised with: “If you see people at our house, don’t go into the house. Keep walking. Don’t look at us. Ignore us.” It is really frightening to be eight, with your brother. You are all by yourself, your family isn’t there. And to say that if someone arrested my mom, I can’t even look at her. I can’t even acknowledge that. It is hard to think about what that does to your psyche. I have been working, I have been balancing checkbooks, I have been cleaning my house, buying groceries, cooking, making sure the taxes are paid—all of that—since I was eight years old.

Isabel’s narrative illustrates that for some 1.5GUY, the private and public spheres are subverted; ULS drives a wedge into the most intimate sphere and the home is constantly subject to interruption and interrogation. She described her constant consciousness of her mother’s work schedule and if she were ever late, her immediate reaction was: “oh my god, what is going on?” She detailed occasions when she and her brother were home alone, crying, and unable to reach their mother.

Isabel linked the constant fear that her family would be torn apart with the adult responsibility she has felt since the young age of eight, and observed the influence these experience have on present

relationships. She acknowledged her low tolerance for peers worrying about “trivial things” like music, make-up, and clothes when she grew up with the fear her mother would be deported. Her statements illustrate the prevalence of instability and fear in everyday life, not only due to her own ULS, but also that of her parent’s. Isabel’s constant awareness that her mother could be taken away at any time, without notice illustrates a low level of control in her everyday life, and furthermore suggests the inability to relax and achieve comfort—especially in the most private sphere.

Similarly, Chilean-born Julia grew up in New Jersey with the knowledge of contingency plans, should something happen to her family. As the oldest child, the burden of this knowledge, as well as the responsibility to carry out such plans, fell upon her shoulders. Julia explained that these contingency plans came to fruition because a close family friend was taken from his home in the early morning hours and deported. She elucidated “there was always that fear that it could happen to us. There was always a plan of who I would call, what would happen, everything.” I inquired about the details of the plan, to which Julia expounded that her parents began the conversation by quizzing her about what she

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would do should they suddenly not return home. When she replied that she would call her grandmother, her parents corrected her and detailed the proper procedure:

I had a list of phone numbers of people and priorities of who I would call first…They said

“your grandma is in Chile, you can’t do that. You have to call this person,” who is my uncle. I had my uncle’s number. I had to call him. I had to wait for him to come and pick us up—me, my sister…From then, we would try to get in contact with my parents and my parents would probably call my uncle, ‘cause my uncle is my guardian…it was just a very specific list of things I would have to do. At some point, if my parents were deported, my uncle would probably send us to be with them. But if not, and if they were in jail for a really long time, I would just have to stay with my uncle for that time period and be aware of what was happening.

Julia’s narrative illustrates more than just the details of a contingency plan. It also illustrates how the condition of deportability permeates everyday life. Julia was constantly aware, but never in control;

she could only react in the case something went wrong rather than prevent an emergency. Julia, like many other 1.5GUY, live with the constant consciousness that their most private and intimate lives can be abruptly disrupted—and live with the fear that this pervasive threat brings. This further illustrates the long-term reach of immigration control, as it shows how immigrants, their lives, and SofB are limited or controlled long after entry in the United States.

Julia explained that neither she nor her parents had been stopped or detained by the authorities at the time of our interview, but admitted that even a potential interaction with authorities conditioned her everyday life with fear from a young age. Julia said that even though she was in the process of

applying for DACA, “there is always that fear that I will wake up one day and my mom will be calling me, telling me” about someone being deported. Because Julia moved away from her family home to attend university, she is even more fearful: “there was always that plan, but I am not there anymore…I fear that something is going to happen and I am not going to be there to help out.” While her family’s contingency plans are no less important, they are more difficult to enact in her absence. Julia exhibits a great sense of responsibility as the oldest child, suggesting the possibility that the burden associated with contingency plans could vary by age. Notably, the everyday instability, fear, and insecurity

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associated with ULS comes not only as a result of a 1.5GUY’s ULS, but also that of family members;

ULS has implications not just on individual’s SofB, but that of a family unit.