Interrupting the Cycle of Worrying: Financial Implications of the California DREAM Act in the Lives of Undocumented College Students

Chavarria

Rodríguez

et al. 2021

Prior research has established that undocumented immigrant experiences are dynamic, reflecting the complex web of immigration-related policies that create legal vulnerability. As such, undocumented college students' experiences must be situated in their current policy context. Drawing on descriptive analyses of a survey of 1,277 undocumented 4-year college students in California, we examine how undocumented students are faring in a relatively inclusive policy context. Results demonstrate the heterogeneity of undocumented student experiences and unpack the challenges they confront while also demonstrating the ways they thrive. We document how respondents are performing across a variety of academic, well-being, and civic and political engagement outcomes. We also show that undocumented students' perceptions of legal vulnerability are complex and varied, taking into account family-level legal vulnerability and individual protections. Further, students perceive campuses as fairly welcoming spaces, with some differences arising across the two university systems. Ultimately, we argue that undocumented college students' experiences merit more nuanced and contextualized analysis.

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Nuanced and Contextualized Understanding of Undocumented College Students: Lessons from a California Survey

Chavarria

Rodríguez

et al. 2021

“…Overall, this article contributes to growing research on the consequences of liminal legality for the upward mobility of undocumented young adults. State-level educational access policies have significantly improved opportunities to pursue college degrees, institutional practices have extended educational equity, and DACA has facilitated economic mobility (Amuedo-Dorantes & Antman, 2016;Enriquez et al, 2019;Golash-Boza & Valdez, 2018;Raza et al, 2019). However, these inclusive policies face frequent political threats that highlight the temporary nature of these benefits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life after College: Liminal Legality and Political Threats as Barriers to Undocumented Students’ Career Preparation Pursuits

Hernandez

2021

Prior research has established that undocumented immigration status disrupts students' transition into life after college, but limited research has examined their preparatory experiences in college. Drawing on interviews with 154 undocumented college students and 32 alumni, we examine how immigration status impacts undocumented students' career planning and preparation. We find that professional development opportunities and college social networks facilitate successful career transitions for both those who received DACA and those who did not. Although DACA facilitates access to a wider variety of professional development opportunities in college, a lack of permanent legal status continues to pose barriers. Yet, both those with and without DACA identify persistent feelings of uncertainty that constrain their career planning, particularly in the face of ongoing political threats to the DACA program. In all, we contend that DACA has supported the post-college transitions of undocumented young adults, but its effects are substantially constrained because it is an increasingly compromised form of liminal legality. We assert that experiences of liminal legality are shifting due to the increasingly temporary and threatened nature of contemporary immigration policy making.

“…More recent legislative efforts have created loan programs and mandated each campus' development of a liaison who can facilitate undocumented students' access to support and resources. Such policies have facilitated undocumented students' access to higher education (Flores 2010;Raza et al, 2019).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Helps Students Get Help?: An Exploratory Analysis of Factors that Shape Undocumented College Students’ Use of Academic Support Services

Sarabia

Rodríguez

et al. 2021

Academic support services are an important institutional resource that can support student success and retention. However, little research has examined undocumented students' resource uptake, aside from demonstrating that exclusionary policies and experiences reduce undocumented students' access to and use of institutional resources. In this article, we use regression analysis to identify what factors may contribute to undocumented students' use of academic support services. Drawing on a survey of 1,277 undocumented students attending California 4-year public universities, we examine how academic performance, situational barriers, campus exclusion, and campus integration shape the odds that undocumented students will use academic support services. We find that campus integration is associated with increased odds of using academic support services, while campus exclusion is not; academic performance and situational barriers have mixed effects.