Navigating Familial Vulnerability: How Parental Legal Status Shapes Latina College Students’ Decision-Making

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 17: Equity, Belonging, and Identity: Unpacking the Forces Shaping Educational Outcomes

Abstract

Previous research highlights the individual and family-level consequences of illegality. However, we know less about the process by which immigrant parents’ legal status continues shaping their children’s integration experiences in the context of higher education. This study comparatively examines 70 semi-structured interviews with Latina college students who are U.S. citizens with immigrant parents of varying legal status (i.e., undocumented, lawful permanent resident, and U.S. citizen). I conceptualize familial vulnerability to highlight the broad reach of the U.S. immigration system. Given the short- and long-term consequences of familial vulnerability, I argue that parental illegality is an ongoing source of fear, anxiety, and stigma for children of undocumented immigrants, ultimately shaping their choices and pursuit of educational mobility. Findings reveal that while second-generation Latina college students generally discuss gendered expectations and responsibilities within their families, those with undocumented parents encounter constraints when deciding where they can attend college, a continual sense of differentiation while in college, and experience a heightened sense of responsibility for their families’ immediate and long-term stability. These findings ultimately demonstrate and explain the intergenerational consequences and constraints of parental illegality, particularly in the integration and educational mobility of U.S. citizens with undocumented parents.

Author

• Aleli Andres, University of California-San Diego