DREAMers: Growing Up Undocumented in the United States of America

Abstract

America’s DREAMers have created an immigration debate that is complex and affects families, employment, the economy, public infrastructure, and education. Since Plyer v. Doe (1982), the courts have ruled that undocumented children are entitled to the same right to attend public primary and secondary schools as do US citizens and permanent residents. This court decision has engendered a compelling case for these students to also be eligible for postsecondary education. The status of roughly one million undocumented youth changes when they graduate from high school and they become ineligible for financial aid. While some states have passed laws that allow them to receive state aid, the US House of Representatives and the Senate have never passed the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in the same congressional session, thus making high school graduates ineligible for any financial aid to pursue higher education. The end result of the legislative failure was the creation of the DREAMers movement that led to the enactment of the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) (presidential executive order in June 2012). This executive order is currently in political limbo with serious implications for institutions of higher education obligated to adhere to state and federal regulations. This chapter will review the economic issues, the challenges, and the ramifications of immigration policy that DREAMers face as they attempt to enroll in postsecondary institutions, as well as address the role of colleges and universities in not only embracing the significant immigrant population in this country and providing educational opportunities but in capitalizing on and retaining the US government’s investment in the human, social, and intellectual development of this population.