According to the American Immigration Council, approximately one in ten Colorado residents was born outside of the United States.
That's nearly 520,000 men and women, and over 37,000 children.
About 25% of them are undocumented.
Over 300,000 people in Colorado are native-born Americans with at least one immigrant parent.
This means that roughly 15% of our state population is made up of first or second-generation immigrants, many of whom are undocumented or living with undocumented family members.
For these families, immigration is not a statistic or a national ideal. It's about staying with their mothers and fathers. It's about seeing their children grow up healthy and successful. It's about making a life.
For those of us who are not immigrants, it can be easy to lose track of the people behind these numbers. And for those of us who are immigrants, it can be hard to relate to others, especially if our immigration must be kept a secret. Here are some books that help us connect--that help receiving community members understand what our immigrant neighbors are going through, and help immigrants know that they are not alone in their joys and struggles.
The Newcomers by Helen Thorpe
The naked don't fear the water: an underground journey with Afghan refugees by Matthieu Aikins
Asylum : a memoir & manifesto by Edafe Okporo
The undocumented Americans: a homecoming by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
The far away brother: two young migrants and the making of an American life by Lauren Markham
The best we could do: an illustrated memoir by Thi Bui