A Critical Look at Dual Language Immersion in the New Latin@ Diaspora

Two-way immersion (TWI), an approach that combines language-minority students and native English speakers in dual-language classrooms, is growing in popularity in schools of newly Latinized regions of the U.S. Using North Carolina as an example, this critical review of the literature posits that as neoliberal trends increasingly shape the communities of the new Latin@ diaspora, the uncritical implementation of TWI can serve as a double-edged sword that commodifies Latin@s’ linguistic resources. The article discusses these dangers, as well as critical issues that should be considered to increase TWI’s potential for Latin@ empowerment in new gateway regions.