Assignment 3: Issue Framing Analysis

Through reporting on undocumented students in the Phoenix area over the past year, I have worked closely with the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, an organization that combines documented and undocumented students toward the promotion of the DREAM Act and other pro-student legislation. The group, while not entirely political, takes politics as a central focus of its efforts, lobbying for improvements to the situation undocumented students face.


As a case study for the undocumented students movement as a whole, the Arizona Dream Act Coalition (ADAC) typifies the practice of issue framing within a social movement.



The specific framing strategies ADAC employs appear to serve a dual role: provide a moral and emotional symbol, and counteract the negative stereotypes attached to undocumented immigrants. Unsurprisingly, the undocumented students movement has chosen the symbolic frame of the youth academic for its primary “face.” Throughout the nation, organizations like the ADAC primarily recruit and mobilize college-aged students. Thus, the symbol of a student resonates with the social group the ADAC seeks. Around the core symbol, the movement employs various thematic images designed to invoke a collegiate feel — books, classes, raised hands. Further, many of the movement’s supporters overlap with the larger immigration reform movement, and thus, tend to be from a Latino/a background. This cultural focus bleeds over into the framing of the undocumented student movement by appearing in blended Spanish rhetoric and Hispanic cultural symbols.



The moral nature of the symbol comes from the implicit argument it represents. Undocumented students seek immigration reform, like the DREAM Act, that will allow them to remain in the country legally and enable them to utilize their education toward personal and communal betterment. The symbol of the academic reinforces this moral argument by illustrating the commitment undocumented students have to educational accomplishment and social contribution. Typically, students are depicted in the cap and gown of graduation, which symbolizes a fulfilled commitment and academic achievement. Also in this depiction is the inherent suggestion that students will move on to better the community though employment or otherwise using their knowledge in the community. Accordingly, this framing makes the implicit argument for allowing students who have earned social value (a good education) and should therefore be allowed to remain in the country.



While no prominent “face” for the organization has emerged in the form of a national spokesperson or activist — understandably, since identification can mean deportation for these students — the movement has gained some semblance of a face in the video postings of movement members on www.dreamactivist.org. Dream Activist, a hybrid social-network/political-activism organization, coordinates the national movement for undocumented students, providing weekly teleconferences and disseminating quasi-testimonials from group member via YouTube. — an imprecise yet strong “face” for the movement. In addition, several local stories involving students who were deported represent the movement’s struggle and are commonly distributed as fliers and literature.



Beyond its resonation with the college demographic, the youth academic frame provides a powerful counterexample to dispel — or at least combat — the negative stereotypes society holds for the undocumented immigrant. The common face of undocumented immigration tends to be the uneducated, unskilled laborer. In contrast, nearly all undocumented students, by the nature of their issue, have completed high school and most have completed at least some college. Many have even used private scholarships and support groups to graduate from college — a highly educated group. By leveraging the stories of such “dreamers” who fight restrictive laws to complete their education, the movement has constructed a very positive image of the undocumented student, highlighting a commitment to education, perseverance, and social contribution. In fact, movement members urge fellow undocumented students to complete their education and remain socially active in an effort to foster more success stories, supporting their fellow members socially and financially. In this way, the movement seeks to dispel harmful stereotypes and promote the cognitive image of a socially valuable student.



Within the ADAC, incentives such as scholarships and social support reinforce individual inclination to join the movement. As part of its activities, the ADAC raises funds for the students’ benefit, supplying members with scholarship money and an emergency legal aid fund. Members also benefit from expert speakers, such as immigration lawyers and activists who explain the rights undocumented students retain in the United States and help members prepare for legal situations such as incarceration or deportation. In addition, the group provides social support for members through communal activities and peer groups. The ADAC, for example, maintains a group of about 50 active members, all of whom participate in group social activities and informal events on a regular basis. Against the oppressive emotions of loneliness and nonconformity — particularly as young adults — the group’s social support can make a big difference for struggling undocumented students and provides heavy incentive to join.



As compared to other contemporary social movements, the framing employed by the undocumented students movement uses similar moral and emotional arguments to advance the movement’s goals and recruit new members. For example, the environmentalist movement uses readily available cognitive symbols like flowers, trees, and leaves to evoke an appreciation for nature. In this appreciation lies a moral argument for protecting the environment based on a feeling of inherent importance and value in its preservation. Another example of moral/emotional imagery is the pro-life movement. By historically displaying graphic images of unborn fetuses, pro-lifers appeal to base emotions and morals, hoping to stir individuals to action. While similar in method, however, the pro-life movement’s framing tends to wax more radical than the undocumented student movement, which keeps to a more logical moral argument (weighing costs/benefits for the nation and the potential social gain of keeping these students in the country).



Perhaps as a result of its emphasis on students and young, educated activists, the undocumented students movement tends to exclude less educated or older immigrants from the heart of its operations. However, this exclusion is hardly universal or unbreakable; support groups of concerned adults, educators, and policymakers have formed around the movement (see: CADENA in the Phoenix area). Broader-issue groups, such as those working toward comprehensive immigration reform, also tend to incorporate student groups into their activities as well as support them financially. Student movement members, however, must maintain an uneasy relation with larger immigration reform groups, for much of the undocumented student movement’s rhetoric relies on the assumption that minors and students hold a special moral place apart from illegal immigrants more generally. In this way, their framing limits inclusion in the greater immigration debate.



Already, however, undocumented students have moved to downplay this distinction and promote greater inclusion. Instead of pointing to other immigrants as a differential of moral worth, they point to lawful citizens as an equal in worth, claiming that they bring just was much social benefit to their communities. This reframing allows for a more inclusive stance toward other immigrants of different educational and age levels.