The Undocumented American Dream

Abstract

This thesis interrogates the exclusionary dimensions of the American Dream by centering the voices, struggles, and political agency of undocumented migrants in the United States. Drawing from political theory, legal studies, and ethnographic research, it challenges meritocratic and citizenship-based narratives that define belonging, success, and civic participation. The work examines how undocumented communities redefine the Dream through acts of resistance, digital activism, and storytelling, reimagining it as a collective pursuit grounded in dignity, inclusion, and justice. In doing so, the thesis illuminates how the American Dream, often wielded as a tool of exclusion, can be reclaimed by those historically denied access to it.