Nativism in Immigration: The Racial Politics of Educational Sanctuaries

• In Event: Critical Analyses of the Intersections of Race, Religion, Gender, & Class in Education.

Abstract

Through analyzing the recent debates around sanctuaries and sanctuary schools and campuses, the author (1) explains the theoretical foundations of Critical Race Theory, LatCrit, and racist nativism for readers to understand various forms of racism that bestow inferiority to People of Color, specifically based on immigration status; (2) examines the current state of affairs in educational attainment of undocumented students. Since Plyler v. Doe, all children have free access to K-12 education notwithstanding their immigration status. However, barriers to this access have been created by school, district, and state policies; and (3) provide a history of the sanctuary movement, examine various school and campus sanctuary policies, and analyze the political and legal debates in response to the shift in U.S. federal policy concerning DACAmented and undocumented students. We address how these legal debates and policy decision surrounding DACA perpetuate or combat perceptions of Black and Brown bodies.

Author

• David Nguyen, Indiana University