The Cost of Being Undocumented Audiobook By Alíx Dick, Antero Garcia cover art

The Cost of Being Undocumented

One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math

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The Cost of Being Undocumented

By: Alíx Dick, Antero Garcia
Narrated by: Diana Bustelo
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About this listen

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.

©2025 Alíx Dick and Antero Garcia (P)2025 Beacon Press Audio
Emigration & Immigration Poverty & Homelessness Social Sciences Inspiring

Critic reviews

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

“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

“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 Patron Saints of Nothing

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Honest and heartfelt. A story ALL must hear. Alix’s vulnerable storytelling is relatable and genuine. The knowledge and research behind this is exceptional with nuanced reflections and a delicate awareness. AMAZING!

MUST READ!!!

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It is a gift for our community. This is the first time I feel seen in a book 🙂

Amazing

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