The Assimilation Experiences of Unaccompanied Migrant and Orphaned Children

Most studies of U.S. immigrant and refugee integration  overlook the experiences of adults who initially entered the United States as migrant and refugee children without parents and/or other relatives. This project seeks to “set the record straight” in scholarship about U.S. immigrant assimilation and integration by collecting and analyzing new interview data about the integration experiences of these adults. The goal is to understand how these immigrants navigate their lives to complete their education, begin to work, obtain financial independence, form relationships through dating and/or marriage, and have children. The investigators also seek to understand how different periods of entry and contexts of reception are associated with these outcomes. The project will culminate in an academic book as well as newspaper op-eds.