Adding depth to Day of the Dead

Restricted by immigration laws, unauthorized immigrants in the United States face severe challenges, including the inability to visit family members left behind.

This “slow violence” becomes most painful during times of death, causing “transnational grief” as families are permanently separated and unable to reunite, mourn and bury their dead.

“Under the current system, unauthorized immigrants are denied freedom of mobility,” said Kristina Fullerton Rico, lead author of a recent study on transnational grief and a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Racial Justice at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy.

“For immigrants in this position, transnational death is the worst-case scenario because it means permanent separation. Unauthorized status not only complicates the grieving process but also exacerbates feelings of powerlessness, guilt and isolation among transnational mourners.”

The six-year study, now published in the journal Social Problems, involving in-depth interviews with 20 participants, reveals the emotional and social toll of these restrictions on undocumented immigrants and their families. The study primarily focuses on Mexican families but is relevant to all individuals with undocumented status.

For more than two decades, Verónica has lived in the same small apartment in New York City, working tirelessly to send money back to her mother in Mexico. But when her mother’s health began to fail a few years ago, Verónica faced a harsh reality—her undocumented immigration status meant she could not travel to be by her mother’s side or attend her funeral.

Reflecting on her mother’s death, Verónica recalled how video calls with her mother left her feeling helpless. “I could see she was in pain, and there was nothing I could do to help,” she said.

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. face the anguish of “transnational grief”—the experience of mourning a loved one’s death from afar due to their immigration status. As this population ages and their networks of family and friends in their home countries diminish through death, their undocumented status has become a “golden cage,” restricting their ability to travel for funerals and final goodbyes.

“I could easily get on a plane. The problem is how to get back,” Verónica said of her undocumented status, sobbing in frustration.

Using a comprehensive ethnographic approach, Fullerton Rico identified several key repercussions of transnational grief:

• The specter of transnational death: Unauthorized immigrants live in constant fear of not being able to see their loved ones again, impacting their emotional well-being years before they experience this type of grief.
• Heightened grief and guilt: The inability to attend funerals leads to deep feelings of powerlessness and guilt. Participants described their experiences using metaphors of incarceration, highlighting the emotional toll of not being able to be with their families in times of loss.
• Mourning strategies: Immigrants adopt various methods to cope with their loss, such as mourning by proxy, providing financial support for funeral expenses, and participating in rituals virtually. Despite these efforts, many reported that these methods offered limited comfort and sometimes intensified feelings of isolation.
• Additional losses: The death of a transnational family member can trigger further hardships, such as losing a caretaker for children or facing challenges in managing financial affairs. Participants emphasized the compounded difficulties following the death of a loved one, leaving them anxious about the well-being of young family members and future handling of family assets and responsibilities.

Florencia, another longtime undocumented immigrant from Mexico, recalled her powerlessness as her mother’s health failed.

“It was something that was impossible to fix. Your only option is to accept that you can’t do anything,” said Florencia, reflecting on the challenging reality and emotional cost faced by undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Participants also reported intense feelings of guilt that their absence had caused their loved one additional suffering, even as they recognized systemic barriers had prevented them from returning.

“Being here, I can’t do anything, not even give her a hug,” said Diana, speaking of her inability to comfort her mother after her father’s recent death.

Unable to attend funerals, undocumented immigrants develop strategies to mourn: sending documented relatives as “proxy” mourners, providing financial support or using technology to attend virtually. However, virtual experiences may not provide the same benefits and may make the experience more traumatic.

The study underscores the urgent need for policy reforms that promote greater mobility for migrant families, allowing them to reunite and participate in vital end-of-life rituals. Addressing these issues can have significant benefits for the emotional and social well-being of transnational families.

“To more fully understand undocumented status, it is critical to consider transnational grief, which exacerbates the sense of being trapped within the United States due to immigration policies and leads to additional losses for transnational families,” Fullerton Rico said.

“Restrictive immigration laws deny unauthorized immigrants and their loved ones the opportunity for reunification, highlighting the need for policy reforms that address these emotional penalties.”