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The Cost of Being Undocumented

One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math

Author Alix Dick, Antero Garcia
Narrator Diana Bustelo
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Beacon Press | Beacon Press Audio
On sale Jun 17, 2025 | 7 Hours and 44 Minutes | 9780807020838
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An undocumented activist and a social scientist come together to tally of the structural costs of undocumented life

An inhumane math pervades this country: even as our government extracts labor and often taxes from undocumented workers, it excludes these same workers from its social safety net. As a result, these essential workers struggle to get their own basic needs met, from healthcare to education, from freedom of association to the ability to drive to work without looking for ICE in the rearview mirror.

When Alix Dick's family found themselves in the crosshairs of cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, she and her siblings were forced to flee to the U.S. Many of the scenes that she shares are difficult and unforgettable: escaping from a relationship in which her partner threatened to report her to immigration; getting root canals done in an underground dental clinic. But there are moments of triumph, too: founding her own nonprofit; working on films that tell important stories; and working with her co-author Dr. Garcia to tell her story in a framework that lays bare the realities of structural oppression.

As Alix and Antero tally the costs of undocumented life, they present a final bill of what is owed to the immigrant community. In this way, their book flips the traditional narrative about the economics of immigration on its head.
“A formidable yet wholly accessible and relatable exposé of the unconscionable cost of undocumented immigration. An essential addition to all nonfiction collections.”
—Booklist, Starred Review

“Part harrowing memoir, part rigorous case study, this makes for an eye-opening glimpse of undocumented life in America.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This book demands to be read. Alix divulges things you’re not supposed to say but that should be said. . . . This book is profound, and it feels like a gut punch (in the best way possible) page after page.”
—Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, author of Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

“Just as America owes the undocumented an enormous debt, we are forever indebted to Alix Dick and Antero Garcia for writing this powerful, moving, and brave account.”
—Reece Jones, author of White Borders: The History of Race and Immigration in the United States from Chinese Exclusion to the Border Wall

“A powerful portrayal of the unrelenting struggles faced by undocumented individuals, particularly Mexicanas, in the United States . . . Alix offers a voice of validation and empowerment to Latina girls everywhere.”
—Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, author of My Side of the River: A Memoir

“In a time of rising xenophobia, Alix Dick courageously shares her story—her fears and her dreams, her struggles, her determination, and her heart. The Cost of Being Undocumented is a deeply intimate accounting of the economic, mental, and physical toll of living as an undocumented person in the United States.”
—Jessica Lander, author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education

“Straightforward and unflinching, The Cost of Being Undocumented expertly weaves together Alix’s specific story with relevant research to expose systemic hypocrisies and offer a clarion call to build a society that recognizes the full humanity and dignity of every individual.”
—Randy Ribay, author of Everything We Never Had
Alíx Dick is an artist and storyteller living in Los Angeles. Her contributions as a producer and filmmaker have screened at film festivals across the globe. She co-edits the substack La Cuenta, an online publication centering the voices and perspectives of individuals labeled undocumented in the U.S.

Antero Garcia is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and vice president of the National Council of Teachers of English. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books about schooling in America. He co-edits the substack La Cuenta.
Alix Dick View titles by Alix Dick
Antero Garcia View titles by Antero Garcia
A Note on Our Research Process

INTRODUCTION
The Balance

CHAPTER 1
The Cost of Time

CHAPTER 2
The Cost of Being Mexicana

CHAPTER 3
The Cost of Living in a Cartel War

CHAPTER 4
The Cost of Border Crossing

CHAPTER 5
The Cost of Employment

CHAPTER 6
The Cost of Love

CHAPTER 7
The Cost of Faith

CHAPTER 8
The Cost of Mental Health

CHAPTER 9
The Cost of Healthcare

CHAPTER 10
The Cost of Dreaming

CONCLUSION
Reckoning with Inhumane Math

Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index

About

An undocumented activist and a social scientist come together to tally of the structural costs of undocumented life

An inhumane math pervades this country: even as our government extracts labor and often taxes from undocumented workers, it excludes these same workers from its social safety net. As a result, these essential workers struggle to get their own basic needs met, from healthcare to education, from freedom of association to the ability to drive to work without looking for ICE in the rearview mirror.

When Alix Dick's family found themselves in the crosshairs of cartel violence in Sinaloa, Mexico, she and her siblings were forced to flee to the U.S. Many of the scenes that she shares are difficult and unforgettable: escaping from a relationship in which her partner threatened to report her to immigration; getting root canals done in an underground dental clinic. But there are moments of triumph, too: founding her own nonprofit; working on films that tell important stories; and working with her co-author Dr. Garcia to tell her story in a framework that lays bare the realities of structural oppression.

As Alix and Antero tally the costs of undocumented life, they present a final bill of what is owed to the immigrant community. In this way, their book flips the traditional narrative about the economics of immigration on its head.

Reviews

“A formidable yet wholly accessible and relatable exposé of the unconscionable cost of undocumented immigration. An essential addition to all nonfiction collections.”
—Booklist, Starred Review

“Part harrowing memoir, part rigorous case study, this makes for an eye-opening glimpse of undocumented life in America.”
—Publishers Weekly

“This book demands to be read. Alix divulges things you’re not supposed to say but that should be said. . . . This book is profound, and it feels like a gut punch (in the best way possible) page after page.”
—Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, author of Tías and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

“Just as America owes the undocumented an enormous debt, we are forever indebted to Alix Dick and Antero Garcia for writing this powerful, moving, and brave account.”
—Reece Jones, author of White Borders: The History of Race and Immigration in the United States from Chinese Exclusion to the Border Wall

“A powerful portrayal of the unrelenting struggles faced by undocumented individuals, particularly Mexicanas, in the United States . . . Alix offers a voice of validation and empowerment to Latina girls everywhere.”
—Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, author of My Side of the River: A Memoir

“In a time of rising xenophobia, Alix Dick courageously shares her story—her fears and her dreams, her struggles, her determination, and her heart. The Cost of Being Undocumented is a deeply intimate accounting of the economic, mental, and physical toll of living as an undocumented person in the United States.”
—Jessica Lander, author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education

“Straightforward and unflinching, The Cost of Being Undocumented expertly weaves together Alix’s specific story with relevant research to expose systemic hypocrisies and offer a clarion call to build a society that recognizes the full humanity and dignity of every individual.”
—Randy Ribay, author of Everything We Never Had

Author

Alíx Dick is an artist and storyteller living in Los Angeles. Her contributions as a producer and filmmaker have screened at film festivals across the globe. She co-edits the substack La Cuenta, an online publication centering the voices and perspectives of individuals labeled undocumented in the U.S.

Antero Garcia is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and vice president of the National Council of Teachers of English. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books about schooling in America. He co-edits the substack La Cuenta.
Alix Dick View titles by Alix Dick
Antero Garcia View titles by Antero Garcia

Table of Contents

A Note on Our Research Process

INTRODUCTION
The Balance

CHAPTER 1
The Cost of Time

CHAPTER 2
The Cost of Being Mexicana

CHAPTER 3
The Cost of Living in a Cartel War

CHAPTER 4
The Cost of Border Crossing

CHAPTER 5
The Cost of Employment

CHAPTER 6
The Cost of Love

CHAPTER 7
The Cost of Faith

CHAPTER 8
The Cost of Mental Health

CHAPTER 9
The Cost of Healthcare

CHAPTER 10
The Cost of Dreaming

CONCLUSION
Reckoning with Inhumane Math

Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index

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