Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez

Ivón Padilla-Rodríguez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Her work bridges historical research with contemporary social justice advocacy, focusing on the socio-legal history of child migration to the United States and the discriminatory policies affecting Mexican and Central American youth.

• Specializes in immigration policy, childhood studies, and human rights
• Co-coordinator of the Newberry Library's Seminar in Borderlands and Latino/a Studies
• Member of the Migration Scholar Collaborative

Her research uncovers systemic exclusion mechanisms like educational deprivation, labor trafficking, and family separation, arguing that legal frameworks nullify migrant minors' access to childhood rights. She critiques the weaponization of 'innocence' narratives against families.

Recent publications analyze historical roots of migrant child detention, labor exploitation, and policy failures such as Title 42. Her quadruple prize-winning dissertation forms the basis of her forthcoming book.

Scientific Awards:

• Society for the History of Children and Youth’s 2022 Fass-Sandin Article Prize

Supported by prestigious grants from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Truman Scholarship Foundation. Her personal background as the daughter of formerly undocumented immigrants informs her research and advocacy.