Enduring the American Dream

Author

• Edward Grattan, Craig Newmark Graduate School of JournalismFollow

Graduation Date

Fall 12-19-2025

Grading Professor

Alia Malek

Subject Concentration

International

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

Martha and Rene - both Colombian nationals – have made the difficult decision to self-deport from the United States in the midst of the Trump Administration’s unprecedented immigration crackdown and deportation campaign. After working as day laborers in The Hamptons, New York for nearly eight years, the couple shares their experience of leaving their current life behind as anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy escalates across the country.

The Trump administration has transformed the landscape for immigrants living in the United States, regardless of documentation status, by eliminating paths for legal residency, charging The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency with unprecedented deportation quotas, and by using increasingly violent tactics to spread fear among the community.

For many immigrants, these changes make the American dream something to endure rather than to realize in their lifetime. In a shrinking pool of choices, self deportation has been sold by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an option with some level of autonomy, an alternative to the ultimatum presented by the administration: leave or be found.

Recommended Citation

Grattan, Edward, "Enduring the American Dream" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/839