Undocumented Students Research Articles

Education, Fertility and Family Formation Effects of State Tuition Benefits: Evidence from Tuition Subsidies to Undocumented Students

Education, Fertility and Family Formation Effects of State Tuition Benefits: Evidence from Tuition Subsidies to Undocumented Students

“You ARE Immigrant…but Not Like Us”: A discourse analysis of immigrant students’ positioning of undocumented immigrants in a CLD classroom

As immigration becomes an ever-more divisive topic in the US, immigrants – particularly undocumented youth – experience unique pressures in classroom settings associated with their statuses. With approximately one million undocumented children in America, it is important for educators and researchers to understand how this population navigates such pressures in these environments. Through a sociocultural understanding of identity and an acknowledgment of the relationship between language and power, we utilize elements of microethnographic and critical discourse analysis to examine how four immigrant students used language to position undocumented immigrants in a diverse and purposefully-inclusive high school history class. Findings reveal that the undocumented students positioned fellow undocumented immigrants in a positive and agentive light, while the documented student was often negative in her positioning of undocumented immigrants – though this position occasionally shifted in response to her undocumented peers’ arguments. We also discuss implications of this work and areas for further inquiry.

Hope in the Shadows: Testing the Immigrant Optimism Hypothesis Among College Aspirational Latino Students.

Scholars have proposed that immigrant optimism explains why some immigrant students outperform their United States-born peers academically. Yet, immigrant optimism has not been directly measured. This study aims to test the immigrant optimism hypothesis by operationalizing it using the Children's Hope Scale. Using structural equation modeling, the author examined the associations between hope, immigrant generation, citizenship status, and academic outcomes among a sample of 2,369 Latino 14- to 17-year-old students. Though no difference by immigrant generation was found, undocumented students were more hopeful than their documented peers. This finding suggests that the documentation status has an indirect relative effect on academic outcomes via hope. This article reexamines the immigrant optimism as a resource that could be fostered among Latino youth, regardless of immigrant status.

The Bureaucratic Encounter and Shifting Social Constructions Among Migrant Youth During the DACA Application Process

This article examines shifting social constructions of the self among undocumented Latino college and university student applicants for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in the United States. A 2012 memo issued by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security deferred deportation action on undocumented youth who were current or former students or military veterans, and who met certain other age, length of residence, and criminal record criteria. Using qualitative data from interviews with 20 DACA applicants, this article explores how bureaucratic encounters that occur through the DACA application process inform ideas about citizenship and identity that are held by the undocumented Latino student population, and how these youth understand their relationship to the U.S. The data show that college and university students undergo a shift in their self-perception and behavior, with their social construction of themselves changing from deviant to deserving as they move through the DACA application process. We believe the analysis is relevant to the current political environment as the portrayal of immigrants is being rapidly reshaped under the Trump administration. Our analysis suggests that these changing portrayals will generate changes in the self-perception and behavior of undocumented Latino students vis-à-vis the state. Our article makes an important contribution to the public administration literature, which at present gives only limited attention to migrants and processes of “administering migration.”

Chicana feminist ontologies and the social process of constructing knowledge

ABSTRACTIn this essay, I argue for Chicanx feminist theories as an optimal domain for the ontological insights of border identities in the process of constructing knowledge, and more specifically in the development of communication theory. Because Chicanx feminist scholarship articulates specific ontological viewpoints, it expertly illuminates border experiences. For some time, Chicanx theorists within communication studies have made this argument, yet it has still not been implemented. In this essay, I make a case for Chicanx feminist studies in communication studies by highlighting the need for a turn away from Cartesian theorizing and by emphasizing how communication scholars can benefit from this knowledge. The implications of theorizing from the body are crucial in Chicanx feminist studies and provide nuanced understandings for communication scholars. To this end, I focus on the undocumented student context as a case study to show the possibility of institutional change within the academy—a change that shifts various understandings of undocumented students and hopefully gives people in positions of power the resources to make the academy more accessible for undocumented students.

Ally Competency and Self-Efficacy for Working with Undocumented Students

This longitudinal study investigated the outcomes of DREAMzone, an educational intervention designed to prepare higher education professionals to respond to the presence and needs of undocumented students. Qualitative surveys were administered to DREAMzone participants at three different time points (post-, 2-months, and 8-months). Five outcomes were salient within and across time points: awareness, knowledge, skills, contact, and self-efficacy. Findings from this study demonstrate efficacy in the delivery of DREAMzone and raise implications for institutions of higher education.

Immigration Policy and Education in Lived Reality: A Framework for Researchers and Educators

The urgency of immigration policy in the lives of immigrant students and families and educators is more evident than ever; however, education theories and educators’ practices are not keeping pace with this lived reality. We draw on scholarship that examines the lives and educational experiences of undocumented students and undocumented or mixed-status families; research on classroom, school, and district policy and practice for immigrant students; and critical sociocultural approaches and critical race theories to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the intersection of immigration policy and education in a nuanced way. We highlight conceptual insights—on people, policy, context, outcomes, and power—for making sense of this nexus. We conclude with implications for our work as researchers and educators and how we conceptualize citizenship.

Review: Teachers as Allies: Transformative Practices for Teaching DREAMers and Undocumented Students, by Shelley Wong, Elaisa Sánchez Gosnell, Anne Marie Foerster Luu, and Lori Dodson

Review: <i>Teachers as Allies: Transformative Practices for Teaching DREAMers and Undocumented Students</i>, by Shelley Wong, Elaisa Sánchez Gosnell, Anne Marie Foerster Luu, and Lori Dodson

Coming out: Examining how undocumented students critically navigate status disclosure processes.

Coming out: Examining how undocumented students critically navigate status disclosure processes.

Addressing Exclusion in Organizations: Social Desire Paths and Undocumented Students Attending College

AbstractWith data from a national study of a network of 28 private, non-profit colleges in the United States, I show how the individual actions of high school and college staff became collective “social desire paths” to introduce new organizational practices to enroll students who were undocumented. In interviews with staff, four factors emerged as important in enrolling students: (1) the way social desire paths started as ad hoc processes and then were entrenched through the collective and similar responses of staff; (2) identification of financial, administrative, structural, and cultural barriers to inclusion that formed the basis for the development of social desire paths; (3) the way staff innovated paths by reforming current procedures as well as developing new practices; and (4) the role of organizational values in supporting social desire paths. Along with uncovering the processes and practices, I also argue that using a social desire path approach helps researchers and managers detect organizational structures that exclude desired populations, and provides a means by which the actions of “street-level bureaucrats” that become collective can address social problems at the organization level.

Undocumented Students: History and Implications for Higher Education Administrators

This article provides a brief history of undocumented students and higher education, from the landmark case of Plyler v. Doe to the examination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. As lawmakers engage in debate regarding undocumented immigrants, states have attempted to provide educational clarity. In addition, academic institutions such as The University of California, Berkeley through their Undocumented Student Program (USP) have taken measures to address the needs of undocumented students in higher education.

Higher Education Professionals Navigating Anti-Immigration Policy for Undocumented Students

Higher education professionals are critical to undocumented students’ educational success as their access to higher education is heavily dependent on being able to interpret and navigate policies. This study presents an analysis of policies that impact higher education access for undocumented students coupled with a qualitative case study that examines how anti-immigration policy affects the experiences of higher education professionals who worked directly with undocumented students in the state of Indiana. The authors help readers understand the experiences and challenges facing these “pathfinders” as they attempt to navigate the mazes of federal, state, and institutional policy to help their undocumented students.

Student Affairs Practitioners' Leadership on behalf of Undocumented College Students in the USA

&lt;p&gt;The United States is considered a country of immigrants that has historically hosted people from all over the world. Oftentimes, immigrants struggle to find and shape an American identity, especially when it comes to undocumented youth (Gonzales, 2008). New waves of immigrants to this country trigger feelings of fear concerning the loss of national identity and the lack of cultural incompatibility (Kim &amp;amp; Díaz, 2013a). In this sense, the emergence of anti-immigration attitudes has been in the political, social, and economic agenda over the last years. As a result, postsecondary institutions have been constantly looking for accomplishing social progress and growth (McDermott, 1973); however, there are still gaps to fill in at institutions with respect to create a welcome atmosphere and campus-wide acceptance for all students. In particular, undocumented students which the National Immigration Law Center defined as “a foreign national who: (1) entered the United States without inspection or with fraudulent documents; or (2) entered legally as a nonimmigrant but then violated the terms of his or her status and remained in the United States without authorization” (as cited in Educators for Fair Consideration, 2019) face socioeconomic and institutional barriers. Therefore, it deems necessary to find appropriate services and allocate resources that help undocumented students cope with difficulties concerning both their college adjustment and personal struggles reaching a holistic development (Gildersleeve &amp;amp;Ranero, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to address the topic of undocumented students as it relates to their college persistence. In particular, four leadership theories help highlight the important role of student affairs practitioners to become advocates and seek social justice for this unique student population.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The organization of the manuscript encompasses the following sections. First, a brief literature review concerning federal and state legislation on undocumented students is presented. Then, an overview of student affairs practitioners’ importance to promote a positive college climate and better serve this student population is addressed. The aforementioned section includes four leadership theories, which student affairs professionals could adopt. Next, an outline addressing the social justice aspect on behalf of undocumented students is introduced. Finally, a section covering recommendations for student affairs professionals is proposed yielding the conclusion.&lt;/p&gt;

Beyond access: Psychosocial barriers to undocumented students’ use of mental health services

RationaleLittle is known about how undocumented immigrants navigate healthcare utilization issues apart from access. ObjectiveWe examine a unique population of undocumented immigrants who have access to healthcare - college students at the University of California - to identify how immigration status hinders mental health service utilization in the absence of barriers related to eligibility and insurance coverage. MethodWe conducted semistructured interviews between March and July 2017 with 30 undocumented students at a University of California campus. ResultsWe argue that undocumented immigration status informs mental health-related illness cognitions to negatively affect students' ability to assess their own mental health and need for services. Students expressed low perceived need because they normalized mental strain as a natural product of their unstable immigration status. Many viewed treatment as futile because it could not address underlying immigration-related issues. They also anticipated stigmas associated with mental illness as well as their own undocumented status. ConclusionSolutions to address utilization disparities must go beyond eliminating formal barriers to health access and address such psychosocial barriers, as well as the larger political and social context that produces them.

From Protest to Protection: Navigating Politics with Immigrant Students in Uncertain Times

With the rise of nationalism and the current contentious debate on immigration in the US, school leaders and educators are faced with difficult questions about how to negotiate sensitive political topics, including debates on immigration. In this article, Reva Jaffe-Walter, Chandler Patton Miranda, and Stacey J. Lee explore how educators grapple with the political policies and discourses surrounding immigration with marginalized students who are the subject of those politics. Drawing on research from two US schools exclusively serving recently arrived immigrant students, the authors explore how educators negotiate the teaching of immigration politics during two different time periods, in 2013 during the Obama era “Dreamer” movement and in early 2017 after the inauguration of Donald Trump. They consider how the unique conditions of each political context inform educators' strategies for “teaching into” political events and supporting their immigrant and undocumented students. Their analysis reveals the unique challenges of engaging marginalized students who are the subject of contentious politics in political discussion and action and supports their call for a deeper consideration of students' identities and experiences of politics within scholarly discussions of critical civic engagement.

Mediating Illegality: Federal, State, and Institutional Policies in the Educational Experiences of Undocumented College Students

Immigration federalism scholarship has established that state and local government policies can make federally defined immigration status more or less consequential. Drawing primarily on focus groups and interviews with 184 undocumented students attending the University of California, we suggest that institutional policies work alongside state and local efforts to mediate the consequences of illegality for undocumented students. We find that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, state-funded financial aid policies, and university support programs all facilitate the integration of undocumented students by increasing access to higher education and enabling fuller participation. Although federal policies contribute to persistent barriers to academic engagement and professional development, we show that universities can intervene to improve educational experiences and opportunities. Ultimately, we argue that university policies are a key site for intervening in immigration policy and constructing immigrant illegality.

Exploring Undocumented Students' Understandings of the Role of Higher Education during the Trump Era

Law pertaining to immigrants is conceptualized as legal violence (Menjívar and Abrego 2012). Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an executive policy with an uncertain future under the Trump administration. In California, many DACA beneficiaries are students at public colleges and universities. This paper conceptualizes DACA as another form of legal violence and draws from 30 in-depth interviews with undocumented students to explore the ways in which undocumented students believe the role of their college/university is to mitigate the legal violence stemming from the liminality of DACA. Some participants believe their colleges/universities should provide safety, specifically via the designation of sanctuary campus status for its symbolic importance, others believe their colleges have a responsibility beyond intellectualism sharing they should be progressive leaders against xenophobia, while others expressed cynicism, describing institutions of higher education as corporations interested in their brand rather than in being immigrant rights advocates on behalf of their students. This study serves as a way for institutions of higher education to learn how undocumented students perceive their roles and duties. At the end of this paper, the author suggests how colleges and universities can work towards mitigating legal violence in the lives of undocumented students.

‘Caution, we have power’: Resisting the ‘school-to-sweatshop pipeline’ through participatory artistic praxes and critical care

ABSTRACTHow might participatory creative praxes make visible a politics of critical care and new imaginaries for resisting the ‘school-to-sweatshop pipeline’? Drawing upon arts-based participatory action research processes led by the urgent concerns of young people of color based in Salt Lake City, Utah, we consider the role of cultural production in providing a social and shared context for rearticulating undocumented students’ everyday experiences negotiating the ‘production of illegality’ and racialized exclusions in school. Attending to participatory creative praxis, we explore how the collective act of art-making generates possibilities to forge solidarities through 'cariño conscientizado', a critically conscious care praxis that seeks to dismantle structural injustices. We conclude raising questions about collective creative praxis as acts of resistance and refusal that take seriously the agency of communities to spark justice for ourselves.

The Academic Performance of Undocumented Students in Higher Education in the United States

Our understanding of the sources of educational inequality for the estimated 250,000 undocumented immigrant college students in the United States is limited by poor data. We use student administrative data from a large public university, which accurately identify legal status and include pre-enrollment characteristics, to determine the effect of legal status on GPA and graduation. We find that undocumented students are hyper-selected relative to peers; failing to account for this difference underestimates the effect of legal status on academic outcomes. Our findings also highlight the ways legal status interacts with institutional settings and race/ethnicity to affect educational outcomes.

Design

Design