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 tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law & social inquiry 2019-08, Vol.44 (3), p.679-703
Main Authors: Enriquez, Laura E., Morales Hernandez, Martha, Millán, Daniel, Vazquez Vera, Daisy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Childhood
College students
Colleges & universities
Community colleges
Cooperation
Criminalization
Federal court decisions
Federalism
Funding
Higher education
Immigrants
Immigration policy
Legislation
Licenses
Local government
Noncitizens
Participation
Professional development
Professional training
Public finance
Scholarships & fellowships
State
Tuition
Undocumented immigrants
Young adults
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Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:0897-6546
1747-4469
1545-696X
DOI:10.1017/lsi.2018.16