The Educational Experiences of Undocumented Young Adults in California and Georgia

• In Event: 486 - Section on Sociology of Education Paper Session. Education, Policy, and School Reform

Abstract

There are currently 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Of these, approximately one-fifth are members of the undocumented 1.5-generation, meaning they came to the United States as children and remain here without legal authorization. While undocumented children have a right to a public education through 12th grade, their futures are more uncertain after high school. Access to postsecondary education is left up to individual states, and states have taken opposing stances, creating welcome and hostile contexts. Drawing from 70 in-depth interviews with undocumented young adults in both metropolitan Los Angeles, CA (a welcoming context) and Atlanta, GA (a hostile context), I argue that analyses of educational participation that focus primarily on entry and completion as measures of immigrant incorporation have failed to account for a key component of the educational experience, a sense of belonging. I show how undocumented young adults understanding of state higher education policies shapes their educational experiences, and more importantly how this varies across state contexts, an empirical gap in the literature about the undocumented 1.5-generation.

Author

• Edelina M. Burciaga, University of Colorado, Denver