Transnational Lives, Local Schools: Institutional Responses to Immigrant Youth in Puebla, Mexico

• In Event: Civic Practices, Education Policy and Diverse Perspectives

Abstract

This paper examines the integration of immigrant students into secondary education in Puebla, Mexico, amid rising return and transit migration. Using 2020 census data and ethnographic fieldwork in public high schools and alternative education programs, it explores how youth—particularly from the U.S., Central, and South America—navigate institutional and everyday barriers to participation. A mixed-methods approach reveals how bureaucratic, cultural, and epistemic exclusions persist despite official commitments to equity. Focusing on the perspectives of teachers, administrators, and local officials, the study analyzes how schools interpret migrant-related policy. Findings call for grounded, context-sensitive policy responses that address the realities of mobile and marginalized student populations.

Author

• Alex Koenig, University of Chicago