About this Symposium

Child migration has become an increasingly important phenomenon in the Americas. Thousands upon thousands of children leave their countries of origins every year to reunite with migrant parents (most often in the United Stated) and/or in search for a better life. Notably, these migrant children face a continuum of violence in their countries of origin, while in transit, and at their destinations. They are directly impacted by the violence of poverty and inequality, criminalized violence, ecological devastation, internal political conflicts, racism, sexism, gender phobias, and patriarchal violence. Migrant children face particularly stark dangers on their migration journey. They often have no choice but to use hyper-violent clandestine air, land, and sea routes, traversing them alone or with the aid of often unscrupulous smugglers. They also must contend with draconian state border regimes, which traverse the Americas, aimed at managing migrants. These regimes work to illegalize migrant children—undocumenting, detaining, and deporting them.

Given the scale and complexity of child migration, it has become imperative to gain a better grasp of this multifaceted phenomenon. The Child Migration Across the Americas symposium aims to understand the past and present complexities of child migration on our continent. In particular, we aim to: 1) critically understand the role that child migration has played in past and present migratory processes across the Americas; 2) comprehend the lived experiences of Latin American migrant children across the Americas, highlighting the interconnections between Latin American countries, as the spaces of expulsion and transit, and the United States, as a space of destination where children face multiple forms of social, economic, and legal violence; 3) explore the politics of care that migrant children, their caretakers, and communities have deployed to cope with the diverse health and social impacts of migration; and 4) learn from testimonios about how Latin American migrant children have resisted and re-signified child migration. The symposium participants include UIC scholars from diverse departments and colleges, international researchers in the field of child migration, and activists, artists, and migrants.

The “Child Migration Across the Americas” symposium will take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. It features a keynote by acclaimed writer Reyna Grande and 3 panels on past and present, politics of care, and advocacy and resistance.

Schedule

8:30–9:00 a.m. - Continental Breakfast

9:10-9:15 a.m. - Welcome from Ellen McClure (UIC) Director, Institute for the Humanities

9:15–9:30 a.m. - Opening Remarks: Jonathan Inda (UIC) Chair, Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS)

9:30–10:45 a.m. - Panel 1: Past and Present

This panel explores the past and present of diverse child migration experiences across the Americas.

• Moderator: Tarini Bedi (UIC) Department of Anthropology
• Soledad Álvarez Velasco (UIC) Departments of Anthropology and Latin American and Latino Studies
• Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez (UIC) Department of History
• Valentina Glockner (National Polytechnic Institute) Center for Research and Advanced Studies
• Daysi Diaz-Strong (UIC) College of Social Work

11:00–12:15 - Panel 2: Politics of Care

This panel explores the politics of care that migrant children, their caretakers, and communities have deployed to cope with the diverse health and social impacts of migration.

• Moderator: Barbara Sostaita (UIC) Department of Latin American and Latino Studies
• Stephanie Torres (UIC) College of Education
• Lauren Heidbrink (California State University Long Beach) Department of Human Development
• Linda Forst (UIC) School of Public Health
• Dana Rusch (UIC) Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Juvenile Research

2:00-3:15 - Panel 3: Resistance and Advocacy

This panel focuses on how Latin American migrant children have resisted and re-signified child migration, as well as on advocacy on behalf of child migrants.

• Moderator: Xochitl Bada (UIC) Department of Latin American and Latino Studies
• Arleene Correa Valencia, Multidisciplinary and community-oriented native Mexican artist
• Denilson Castillo, Honduran refugee who is part of the LGBTQI+ community in Chicago
• Jane Liu, Director of Policy and Litigation, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
• Michael D. Rodriguez, 22nd Ward Alderperson, City of Chicago

3:30-4:30 - Keynote: Reyna Grande, Author of The Distance Between Us

Introduced by Daniel Borzutzky (UIC) Departments of English and Latin American and Latino Studies

4:30-4:45 - Closing Remarks Soledad Álvarez Velasco (UIC) Departments of Anthropology and Latin American and Latino Studies