Reveals the impossible choices and downright terror mixedstatus families often face for their lovedonesLiving in a mixedstatus immigrant family might mean that your grandmother could be deported at any moment your son could be arrested at work or your mothers deportation hearing is postponedagain. Such uncertainty and fear are the reality of life for mixedstatus familiesthose that include both undocumented immigrants and US citizens. In Contested Americans Cassaundra Rodriguez explores how members of mixedstatus families experience and articulate belonging in the United States. The sixteen million people in the US who fall under this classification share the fear of a family members possible deportation or the anxiety of leaving behind a child or elderly relative.Rodriguez highlights how different members of the same mixedstatus families mediate undocumented statuses while maintaining the collective whole of a family. For many young adults this may mean negotiating the sponsorship of their immigrant parents and for the parents planning for the emotional physical and financial wellbeing of their children in case of deportation.Contested Americans is a timely book filled with vivid storytelling that shows how immigration policies racism and privilege collide in the backdrop of the lives of millions of mixedstatus families.