RAB Source Entry 1 – Odalys

My research question is: How did COVID-19 impact undocumented immigrants in America?

Part 1 – MLA Citation 
“As Many Americans Get COVID-19 Vaccines and Financial Support, Undocumented Immigrants Keep Falling through the Cracks.” Time, time.com/5944806/undocumented-immigrants-covid-19/. 

Part 2 – Summary 

The passage “As Many Americans Get COVID-19 Vaccines and Financial Support, Undocumented Immigrants Keep Falling Through The Cracks” by Lj Dawson is about how the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on undocumented immigrants, who face a range of systematic barriers that limit their access to healthcare, financial assistance, and other essential resources. The writer uses the example of Ana, an undocumented immigrant mother, to show her struggles and how she was vulnerable to the economic fallout wrought by the pandemic. The writer emphasizes how undocumented immigrants were more likely to catch COVID-19 due to their essential jobs but feared reaching out for help which could lead to deportation or detention. The author mentions how the POTUS administration failed to roll out accurate information to immigrant communities regarding being vaccinated against COVID-19. The author states how the administration made non-inclusive aid packages to unauthorized U.S. residents despite the access to billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief. The author then discusses how the administration mistreated undocumented immigrants and how advocacy groups fought back. The author concludes by quoting Ana, the undocumented immigrant mother, who said, “This is not living. This is just surviving. Let’s be clear. This is just surviving, and I want to live. I want a house for my kids.” To get across how many households like Ana’s are falling through the cracks of debt, sickness, and poverty.

Part 3 – Reflection  

I agree with the author Lj Dawson and the information she presents in her feature piece. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I can personally connect to this because Dawson states, “An estimated 4 in 5 of them work essential jobs that put them at high risk to catch the COVID-19 virus. They are also more likely to suffer the economic consequences.” This quote is significant to me because my family, like many others, was denied the essential support everyone else was getting. Nearly most of my family members work essential jobs, including my father. Due to my father’s immigration status, he did not qualify for healthcare, unemployment, stimulus checks, or child tax credit, although he has two American-born children and pays his taxes. Seeing my father with a high fever, barely conscious, going to work to keep a roof over our heads and food in our mouths was heartbreaking. Like many children of immigrant parents, I felt helpless and had to become a front-line worker to keep our family together. If I could say something to the author, I would say how well she covered, spoke, and highlighted how the American government treated undocumented immigrants during COVID-19. Lastly, I would ask her what made her write this article. Does she as well come from immigrant descent?

Part 4 – Rhetorical Analysis 

The TIME’s article, “As Many Americans Get COVID-19 Vaccines and Financial Support, Undocumented Immigrants Keep Falling Through The Cracks”, by Lj Dawson, is a feature piece. The audience is the general reading public. Moreover, Dawson’s tone is sympathetic. Dawson’s writing style is expository. The author’s reason for writing is to inform. Aside from Dawson being a journalist and reporter, she is also the founder of “The Des” a criminal justice newsletter founded in 2020, making her reliable. According to their website, their purpose is to bring voices from the frontlines of the criminal justice system to the public. Lastly, Dawson publishing this article in TIMES gives credibility because it has been one of the most “authoritative and informative” about current affairs since 1923, according to their website. 

Part 5 – Notable Quotable 

“Ana is one of the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission, who are particularly vulnerable to the economic fallout wrought by the pandemic and have no direct access to the billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief over the last year.” (Paragraph 5) 

“They are also more likely to suffer the economic consequences, even with protections in place—such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium, extended through March—because they fear that reaching out for help or reporting landlords could lead to deportation or detention.” (Paragraph 5) 

“Advocacy groups have argued for “inclusive” aid packages that provide direct aid to as many immigrants as possible no matter citizenship status, and while a few states set up aid for the undocumented, it’s not nearly enough, according to Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.” (Paragraph 9)