The Life-Course Timing of Legalization: Evidence from the DACA Program

Abstract

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was created to mitigate some of the harmful consequences of undocumented immigration status. Although research shows that the DACA program promoted employment outcomes for the average DACA recipient, life-course theory and immigrant integration theory suggest that the program may differentially affect younger and older recipients. Using data from the American Community Survey, the authors test whether DACA was associated with different education and employment outcomes for younger and older Mexican immigrants. The results indicate that DACA was associated with increases in the likelihood of working among younger but not older DACA-eligible individuals and with greater decreases in the likelihood of school enrollment among younger DACA-eligible individuals. These results suggest that policy makers should ensure that opportunities to permanently legalize status are available to immigrants as early as possible in the life course.

Precarity and the Predatory Inclusion of Black Women by For-Profit Colleges

“…The political economy of Higher Ed institutions, especially the most selective and well-resourced, has relied on and continues to benefit from indigenous dispossession; the labor, sale, and study of the enslaved and their descendants; and ongoing legacies of residential displacement, real estate hoarding, wage theft, and much more (Baldwin, 2021;Dancy et al, 2018;Fanshel, 2021;Maldonado and Meiners, 2021;Wilder, 2014). Higher Ed institutions have also developed partnerships with third-party providers that incorporate predatory and extractive features in their contracts (Hamilton et al, 2024).…”

Persistent effects of legal status on healthcare access and outcomes: findings from a state-wide representative cross-sectional survey in California

“…Studies find that transitioning to a more protected status improves psychological distress, 18 labour market and socioeconomic outcomes 19 20 ; however, given that the status is temporary, there continues to be uncertainties about immigration enforcement and financial stress. [21][22][23] While DACA points to potential ways in which changing legal status may impact health, given the temporary nature of the programme, it is critical to take into account the role of past undocumented status in health across immigration statuses including those who are currently noncitizens or naturalised citizens.…”