More than a quarter century of research has generated fruitful results and new insights into the understanding of the lived experiences of the new second generation, which broadly includes both native-born and foreign-born children of immigrant parentage. We critically review the burgeoning literature on the divergent trajectories and unequal outcomes of this new second generation. Given recent changes in immigration policy and in contexts of both exit and reception for new immigrants, we pay special attention to the significance of selectivity and immigration status. We begin by revisiting the canonical literature on assimilation and presenting the original formulation of the segmented assimilation theory as a critique. We then assess the impressive body of empirical research and discuss alternative concepts, models, and paradigms. We conclude our review by discussing the implications for future research on the children of immigrants.

Does the undocumented status of 1.5-generation Latinos (those who migrated at a young age) in the United States affect their political, civic, and public selves? Our approach to this question begins with a theoretical framework based on the concept of abjectivity, which draws together abject status and subjectivity. We argue that the practices of the biopolitics of citizenship and governmentality-surveillance, immigration documents, employment forms, birth certificates, tax forms, drivers' licenses, credit card applications, bank accounts, medical insurance, car insurance, random detentions, and deportations-enclose, penetrate, define, limit, and frustrate the lives of undocumented 1.5-generation Latino immigrants. We examine data from a random-sample telephone survey of 805 Latinos and 396 whites in Orange County, California, to provide general patterns that distinguish 1.5-generation Latino immigrants from their first-generation counterparts and to suggest the contours of their lives as undocumented immigrants. We then examine in-depth interviews with 80 respondents also in Orange County who provide extensive qualitative information and personal narratives. The analysis shows how abjectivity and illegality constrain daily life, create internalized fears, in some ways immobilize their victims, and in other ways motivate them to engage politically to resist the dire conditions of their lives. © 2012 by The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.