The Liminality of Immigration Policy and Educational Opportunity for Undocumented Students in Higher Education

• In Event: 61.068 - MTCC Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 61.068-12 - Politics of Movement: Across and Within Education Spaces

Abstract

This qualitative study explored the impact of immigration and higher education policy on the lives of undocumented Latinx students during the heightened xenophobic context in the United States and post-DACA implementation. This work employed Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) and liminal legality to explore the experiences of students during their transition to college, a critical time in their lives and educational trajectories. Drawing from 10 interviews conducted with students in their first year of college, this study highlights the liminality of immigration status and policy and the inherent contradictions students experienced in their transition to college. This scholarship demonstrates that the futures of these students and their families are impacted by the volatile political landscape in the United States.

Author

• Brianna R Ramirez, University of California - San Diego