The Undocumented Americans

The book was written by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, who drew partly on her own experience as an undocumented immigrant from Ecuador. It was published in 2020 and blends personal memoir with on-the-ground reportage from undocumented communities.

The book reports on undocumented communities in locations including New York, Miami, Connecticut, Ohio, and the site of the September 11 attacks, where many undocumented workers participated in cleanup efforts. Each chapter focuses on a different community and set of experiences.

The book was a finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2020, bringing significant national attention to its blend of literary nonfiction and immigrant advocacy. It was widely reviewed and discussed in major media outlets upon publication.

The book combines elements of memoir, investigative reportage, and literary nonfiction, defying easy classification within a single category. Cornejo Villavicencio's approach uses personal narrative as a point of entry into broader social and political reporting.