Not Your Child! The Quiet Harm of Infantilizating Immigrants
by: Jeniffer Revell
A.I generated image of Immigrant doctor looking at the “labeled infant version of himself “ made by Americans created by Jeniffer Revell
I didn’t expect to notice it in myself.
One day, I was speaking to my cousin he had just moved here and I heard something shift in my voice. When I spoke in English, my words softened. I rounded my sentences like I was talking to a child. My mind flipped into a different mode, a kind of code-switch I never meant to make. But the moment I switched to our language Creole I spoke to him like an adult, like an equal.
That’s when it hit me.
This country doesn’t just change how immigrants are seen it changes how we see each other.
Even we, their own people, can get caught in the trap.
Defining Infantilization and Where It Shows Up
Infantilization is the act of treating adults as if they’re children over-explaining, over-simplifying, assuming helplessness. When directed at immigrants, it’s often disguised as “support,” “kindness,” or even admiration. But make no mistake: it is a subtle, dangerous form of dehumanization.
We see it in:
Media that paints immigrants as naive dreamers or grateful underdogs, rarely as strategists, scholars, or decision makers.
Government policies that reduce immigrant agency by micromanaging everything from where they live to how they speak.
Everyday interactions where immigrants are spoken to slowly, praised for the obvious, or excluded from leadership conversations because of accents.
It’s the doctor who gets treated like a child because her English is accented.
The electrician who is called “adorable” instead of respected.
The mother who must smile through pity to survive.
Why It’s Harmful
At first glance, infantilization might seem harmless or even well-meaning. But the consequences are deeply felt:
Strips dignity and authority: Adults are framed as forever needing help, not capable of giving it.
Reinforces white saviorism: Immigrants are cast as the “saved,” and the host country as the benevolent parent.
Flattens identity: Complex life experiences migration, survival, skill are ignored in favor of cute or helpless tropes.
Silences wisdom: Language becomes a weapon, used to determine whose intelligence counts.
And perhaps most painfully, it creates a power dynamic where immigrants are never allowed to grow up in the eyes of society. They are permanent outsiders—grateful, humble, and quiet.
Why It Happens
This pattern isn’t random. It has roots in:
Colonial mindsets: The idea that people from elsewhere are less developed, less rational, less capable.
National superiority myths: Host countries (especially the U.S. and Europe) often believe their systems, languages, and values are inherently better.
Racialized narratives: Black and Brown immigrants are infantilized at higher rates, feeding into racist assumptions of incompetence or dependency.
Even when immigrants master the language or achieve success, they’re still asked to “slow down,” to “speak clearly,” to “start over.”
What We Can Do
We can start by listening and unlearning.
Speak to people in their full dignity. Accents aren’t signs of ignorance they're signs of bilingual strength.
Call it out when you see it. Pity is not empowerment.
Let immigrants lead. Not just tell their stories but direct their futures.
Check your tone. That “harmless” voice you use might be shrinking someone’s humanity.
Immigrants are not your children. They are your neighbors, your healers, your strategists, your elders. They are not here to be pitied. They are here to participate. And they do not need softer voices. They need louder respect.