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Kaitlyn VanWay

Dr. Underwood

HON 320W

20 March 2019

Living in Secret: Migrant Kids and Their Representation in Children’s Media

During the Trump administration, focus on undocumented migrants has grown

exponentially. The idea of a border crisis as spread by Trump has brought immigration to the

forefront of Americans’ minds. According to a research by the Pew Research Center, only forty-

five percent of Americans think most immigrants are here legally (Gramlich). Additionally, in

the aftermath of the Zero-Tolerance Policy, which has led to children being separated from their

parents and detained in a “child migrant shelter,” the well-being of migrant children has become

a hot topic (O’Neil). Some Americans are facilitating the healthy mental and social development

of undocumented migrant children by giving them representation through entertainment

platforms like television and books. The representation of Latinx migrants has grown in

children’s television and literature since the 2014 candidacy of Donald Trump.

The term “children” refers to a vast age range: legally, it is defined as everyone under the

age eighteen (U.N. General Assembly 4). Developmentally, however, it is split roughly into three

school-aged groups: preschool, aged three to five; primary school, aged six to twelve; and

teenage, aged thirteen to eighteen (“The Ages and Stages of Child Development”). These three

age groups help parents and researchers alike to understand the different stages of childhood and

the changes in brain development at each age. Because maturity and comprehension levels vary

across each stage, there are different subsets of children’s media that are targeted to each age

group.
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Representation in preschool-aged children’s media plays an important role in the social

development of this age group. These children are in what psychologist Jean Piaget deemed the

“preoperational stage of development,” which is marked by language development and

“egocentrism” (Cherry). First, children in this stage are starting to associate words with concepts

and objects; so when exposed to concepts that are unfamiliar to them, kids have trouble

associating those concepts with language. Additionally, kids in this stage are “egocentric,”

meaning that they “are unable to take the point of view of other people,” they “cannot mentally

manipulate information,” and they are more likely to rely on “roleplay” and “pretend[ing]” to

understand the world (Cherry). This is where representation comes into play: because children in

this stage cannot yet empathize, they need diverse characters and situations explicitly presented

to them so that they can begin to understand all different kinds of people. The media kids see in

early childhood shapes what they think people who look like themselves can accomplish.

Preschool-aged kids are more likely to subconsciously recognize that they are different than

explicitly notice it.

Author and activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explained this concept simply in her

2009 TEDTalk, stating that, as an African child, nearly all the literature she was exposed to was

American; the characters were predominantly white and lived different lives than she did. As a

result, Adichie began writing stories where the characters were nothing like her because she had

become “convinced that books by their very nature had to have foreigners in them” and, in turn,

“had to be about things with which [she] could not personally identify” (Adichie). She then goes

on to explain that diversity in children’s literature is not just necessary for minority kids; for

instance, when white children are not exposed to non-white characters, they are doomed to the

“danger of a single story” with “no possibility of connection as human equals” to racially and
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ethnically diverse kids (Adichie). This can contribute to subconscious racism and a superiority

complex, which can manifest into blatant hatred, discrimination, and violence.

In preschool children’s on-screen media, there is not much discussion of immigration at

all, be it documented, undocumented, Latinx, or non-Latinx. Most television shows targeted to

this age group are not live-action, meaning that they typically involve animation or puppets

(Bryson). Because many parents are concerned with teaching their preschool-aged children basic

concepts like letters and numbers, more complicated subjects like immigration are in high

demand on these shows.

That is not to say that kids are not exposed to diversity and Latinx representation; on the

contrary, there has been a twenty percent increase in viewers naming characters of color as their

favorite characters on television (Ramos). Disney Junior now has two programs centered around

Latina protagonists: Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor (Disney Junior). While these examples

integrate Spanish language and culture into their plotlines, they do not address immigration and

seldom point out diversity explicitly. When these shows do blatantly address diversity, it is

usually in celebration of a special holiday, like Hispanic Heritage Month. For example, Sesame

Street has featured occasional songs in Spanish when they have Latinx celebrities as guest stars:

Gina Rodriguez taught kids the Spanish alphabet, Romeo Santos sang “Quiero Ser Tu Amigo,”

and Sofia Vergara showed kids how to do Colombian dances (Sesame Street). However, there

has not been a significant increase in these instances in the Trump era; moreover, there have

been very few—if any—episodes addressing immigration.

Off-screen, however, there has been an influx of Latinx immigrants in children’s

literature. Books targeted to this age group are usually illustrated, so representation is both visual

and plot-driven in these stories. Since the Trump’s 2014 candidacy, there have been many
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picture books talking about Latinx immigration—specifically undocumented immigration. These

books are mostly either in English and Spanish or English alone, and the stories both explicitly

and indirectly address immigration.

In Carmela Full of Wishes, the titular character finds a dandelion and ponders over what

she should wish for. She imagines her mother “sleeping in one of those fancy hotel beds she

spent all day making for fancy guests” (de la Peña 16) and “her dad getting his papers fixed so he

could finally come home” (18). The book is primarily images of a child of color and her family,

intermingling Spanish phrases like bodega and mija with direct references to the inequality and

immigration issues her family faces. Additionally, reviewers declare the book a “stirring, timely

ode to the bravery of dreamers” (1), referring to the recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood

Arrivals, a program for undocumented migrants brought to the United States as children.

Other books targeted to this age group refer to immigration issues in a less direct way. In

The Wall in the Middle of the Book, a soldier is building a wall in the middle of the book in order

to “protect [his] side” (Agee 5) from the ogre who “eats [people] up” (15). Suddenly, however,

the soldier’s side of the wall floods, and the ogre rescues him. The soldier is confused: he always

thought the ogre would eat him up, but the ogre responds that he is “actually a nice ogre” and

that “[his] side of the book is fantastic” (32). This book is also primarily pictures; and throughout

the story, the side of the wall that is supposed to be “safe” gets more dangerous, while the side

that is supposed to be “scary” is shown to be harmless (Saxon). The illustrator uses the “gutter”

of the picture book, where the binding meets and forms a crease, to form a physical barrier that

the protagonist believes will protect him (Saxon). This book is an indirect critique on the

American desire for a border wall populated by Donald Trump: the soldier learns that his side of
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the book—the United States—is dangerous and realizes he was mistaken about the other side—

Mexico.

Primary school-aged children also are exposed to Latinx immigration, though in different

ways. Just as with preschool kids, representation is essential for primary school-aged children,

aged six to twelve. Children in this age range are in Piaget’s “concrete operational stage of

development,” meaning that they are transitioning into logical and abstract thinking (Cherry).

This means that kids are learning to think more hypothetically while solidifying their ability to

think about simple concepts in logical ways. At this age, kids start to recognize that they look

and live differently from everyone around them, and they start to crave characters that look like

them and have similar life experiences. When present, these characters can help children cope

with discrimination they face from their peers.

Latinx immigrant children, specifically undocumented immigrants, have been the topic of

an increasing number of news stories, and the language surrounding their existence is often

negative. The words used to describe this population has led to a “troubling progression to the

further criminalization of children and youth in immigrant detention” (Sanchez 10). Because the

media not only tells the news but also “justifies” it, negative representations of immigrant

children leads to negative public perspective of immigrant children (Catalano 125). Latinx

immigrant kids have been referred to as “dangerous water,” “criminals,” and “animals” (126). At

a political rally in Nebraska, a protestor went so far as to say that immigrant kids are like “a

water main break” that the United States “is just trying to soak up” with “towels”; she then

asked, “At what point [is] [the United States] going to secure [the] border and turn the spigot

off?” (130). This constant dehumanization of immigrant kids can increase the fear and anxiety

they face as well as negatively affecting their self-esteem and perception by their peers. Many
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undocumented immigrant children are unable to tell anyone about their immigration status for

fear of deportation; in turn, young kids must learn to process negative discourse about their

existence in secret solitude.

Because the kids themselves often cannot speak openly about their experiences, they are

greatly affected by hearing stories like their own in primary school-aged children’s media.

However, just as with preschool children’s media, there is little to no explicit talk about

immigration in primary school-aged children’s television. This may partly be because parents

have more control over younger children’s media, and thus kid’s shows have been censored

since as far back as the 1930s (Beck). For instance, in a 1939 article titled “Hollywood Censors

Its Animated Cartoons,” former Warner Brothers producer Leon Schlesinger stated that studios

“must keep [children’s] best interests at heart by making [their] product proper for their

impressionable minds” (17). If the parents of younger children do not want their kids to hear

about a certain topic, they can ensure that they do not watch shows that discuss it.

In the rare primary school-aged kids’ shows that do talk about immigration, the

characters are almost exclusively non-human. For example, Vampirina on Disney Channel is an

animated program centered around a young vampire that moved with her family from

Transylvania to Pennsylvania and the struggles she faces with coming to a new place (Nee). This

show addresses the struggles immigrant kids might feel with fitting into a new country without

explicitly talking about immigration and the issues that surround it. Another example of non-

human immigration is the Netflix series 3Below: Tales of Arcadia, which focuses on two

extraterrestrial siblings who are forced to flee their planet and come to Earth disguised as

humans (del Torro). Though these kids are aliens, this show talks about undocumented

immigration in a roundabout way: the pair had to flee their home because it was dangerous are
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now secretly seeking refuge in a new place. 3Below may not directly address immigration, but it

can help immigrant kids—particularly undocumented kids—relate to characters that have similar

backgrounds of seeking refuge and living in secret.

Off-screen, primary school-aged kids are well-represented in both fiction and nonfiction.

Books targeted to this age group tend to be chapter books with little or no illustrations, so kids

are starting to learn words that describe them instead of just looking to images. There are several

books about undocumented immigration specifically that are targeted to kids between the ages of

six to twelve; additionally, many of these books were release in the Trump era.

The 2016 Pura Belpré Honor Book winner The Only Road is a fictional story focused

around Jaime, a Guatemalan boy who flees his home when his cousin is killed by a gang that will

target him next. The story mixes Spanish phrases with English descriptions to authentically

capture the “treacherous and life-changing journey” (Diaz 1). This book is targeted to a middle

school audience, and it does not shy away from dangerous yet realistic situations. Twelve-year-

old Jaime flees to the United States with his cousin Ángela in the back of a pickup truck, on top

of a train, in a crowded bus, and through a river and a desert with a coyote crossing guide. This

book “is not an easy read,” but it does “humanize the plight of Central American refugees”

(Baugh). Characters make it clear that they are not trying to get rich or scam Americans; they

“just want the freedom to make [their] own choices and be in control of [their] future” (Diaz 92).

The book is both intended for and centered around a primary-aged child, meaning that even kids

who have never immigrated anywhere can relate to the protagonist and see parts of themselves in

someone who is ultimately very different from them.

Additionally, primary school-aged children have numerous nonfiction books targeted to

them. The 2018 autobiography Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her
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American Dream is author Julissa Arce’s true story of travelling from Mexico to the United

States and living in secret (1). Julissa’s story is very similar to that of many Latinx

undocumented migrants, so it is easy for primary school-aged immigrants to relate to her story.

She also uses simple yet effective language to express what she went through so that kids who

are not immigrants can understand part of the immigrant experience. Julissa talks about how she

did not know that she was undocumented until her parents told her she could not go back to

Mexico to visit her family; Julissa stated, “My family was in Mexico, but my parents were here.

My life was in both places” (139). She takes the time to explain her life experiences—the

similarities to native-born American kids and the differences. By doing so, she makes herself

into a three-dimensional human being instead of a child defined by her immigration status.

This distinction becomes especially important when children become teenagers, aged

thirteen to eighteen. Teenagers are in what is called the “Identity v. Role Confusion stage of

psychosocial development,” which means they are struggling to carve out a unique identity for

themselves (McLeod). Essentially, teenagers are struggling with balancing the desire to be

unique and the overwhelming urge to fit in and assimilate. Moreover, this generation of

teenagers is constantly exposed to technology that is shaping their worldview (McLeod).

Constant exposure to media makes teenagers impressionable, and their mindsets often reflect the

images they see.

Unlike for younger kids, on-screen media targeted to teenagers has recently begun

explicitly discussing undocumented Latinx migration. Television directed to this age range are

typically live-action, which means that when discussing Latinx immigration issues, the actors are

typically Latinx. Television shows specifically have begun featuring plotlines with

undocumented Latinx immigrants since the candidacy and subsequent election of Donald Trump.
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Because these shows are targeted to an older age group that can think abstractly and handle

complex storylines, it is more common for writers to include controversial topics like

immigration in episodes. Additionally, parents tend to have less control over what their teenagers

watch versus what their younger children watch, so there is not as much pressure to censor these

programs.

One of the most notable examples of a show talking explicitly about undocumented

Latinx immigrants is in season 14 of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in an episode entitled “Beautiful

Dreamer.” In this episode, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent comes to the

hospital to apprehend and deport one of the surgical interns, Dr. Sam Bello, who is a Deferred

Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. Dr. Bello reveals to her colleagues that she

was brought to the United States from El Salvador when she was one year old; her father was

murdered in his home, and her mother felt unsafe staying in Central America. Later, viewers find

out that Dr. Bello is facing deportation because she ran a red light. When one of her colleagues

asks in dismay if she has ever even been to El Salvador, she replies, “No! My entire family

moved here when I was one. I don’t know a single person there” (Marinis). This statement helps

to put in perspective the fact that, though Dr. Bello was born in El Salvador, she is just as

American as her colleagues. Nevertheless, she is faced with seemingly only two options: run

away and become a “criminal” who can “never practice medicine again” or face deportation

(Marinis). This episode portrays Dr. Bello in a positive light, making viewers empathize with her

rather than vilify her. By doing so, the writers have both given Latinx immigrant teenagers

someone to relate to and non-immigrant teenagers a compassionate view of the DACA recipients

they hear about on the news.

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One other notable instance of teenage television and undocumented immigration is on the

CW’s Jane the Virgin, a show with a majority Latinx cast. In this show, the titular character’s

grandmother Alba is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. This is a theme throughout

the show, and it often affects the plot. Her undocumented status causes constant tension in the

family, and when Alba gets her green card, the relief that her family feels is almost palpable. In

“Chapter Eighty-One,” Alba takes her U.S. Citizenship test and passes with flying colors. By

having her ace her exam, the writers make the point that immigrants are no less intelligent than

U.S.-born citizens. After she becomes a naturalized citizen, Alba gives an emotional toast,

saying, “I spent so many years worrying about being separated from all of [my family], and I am

so grateful that I will never have to worry about that again” (Urman). As she chokes back tears,

Alba again humanizes immigrants and shows Latinx and non-Latinx audiences alike that the fear

that comes with being undocumented is real, constant, and tangible.

However, this sentiment is not as well-represented in teenage books. Though some

novels, such as The Radius Between Us and The Book of Unknown Americans mention

immigration, they are outliers in their field (Foulis). Moreover, there has been no significant

increase in books teenage addressing immigration in the Trump era. Books intended for this age

range are almost all chapter books with no pictures, so teenagers need explicit descriptions of the

plight of characters in order to imagine and relate to them. Television is becoming such an

important medium for teenagers to get entertainment, especially with the invention of streaming

services like Netflix and Hulu; as a result, fewer teenagers are reading, so there is a less pressing

need for teenage books to cover hard-hitting issues rather than romantic and dystopian

archetypes.
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Representation of Latinx migrants is growing in different ways for different age groups,

but nearly all the representation of this demographic since the candidacy and election of Donald

Trump has aimed to humanize immigrants. Children benefit from seeing positive representations

of themselves in the media they consume, and this can help immigrant kids cope with the

negative coverage they hear on the news. Progress looks different for each age group of

children’s media; but across the board, progress means writers including more positive

representations of Latinx immigrants in children’s media. As Latinx immigrants become more

thoroughly represented in children’s media, kids of all ethnicities begin to better understand

diversity and embrace acceptance rather than hatred.

Works Cited

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