A Comparative Analysis of College Access in Illinois and Arizona for UnDACAmented College Students

• In Event: 66.021 - Latina/o Educational Landscapes in Chicago: Testimonios, Resistance, and Praxis

Abstract

This paper is a comparative analysis of college success for undocumented students in Illinois and Arizona, states with diverging policy contexts regarding undocumented immigrants. We draw data from a subsample of 30 Latin American origin respondents who participated in the National UnDACAmented Research Project (NURP) to understand the layered effects of 1) the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, 2) state contexts that differ with respect to undocumented students, and 3) school practices. Illinois and Arizona are among the top six states of residence for DACA beneficiaries, with 40,162 and 26,650 approvals, respectively. Since first implemented in 2012, DACA has provided a significant boost to eligible students (Gonzales, Terriquez, & Ruszczyk, 2014). Yet, DACA beneficiaries confront diverging state policies. Whereas in Illinois, undocumented students are eligible for in-state tuition and have access to a large private scholarship fund, students in Arizona face exclusion from in-state tuition and a hostile anti-immigrant climate.

We employ a social capital framework to explore the interplay between school-based networks and local and national policies. Many DACA beneficiaries in Illinois and Arizona live in households where parents lack college degrees and are at a disadvantage in offering guidance to support successful transitions to college (Gonzales, 2010). In addition, they also face exclusions from federal and state financial aid. As such, making it to college, persisting, and graduating is an uphill climb for many of these young people. But these young people confront differing sets of supports and barriers in their postsecondary transitions. While much of the research on social capital assumes a general benefit, attending to the contours of local policy contexts allows us to understand the nuanced needs of students and the ways in which they both seek out and mobilize cultural capital.

From a larger sample of 467 in-depth interviews, we selected 15 interviews each from Arizona and Illinois (N=30). Interviews ranged in length from 30-90 minutes. To analyze interview transcripts, we used open coding techniques, placing conceptual labels on responses that described discrete events, experiences, and feelings reported in the interviews. Next we examined responses for common meta-themes across all interviews, and compared the two sets of interviews across questions and themes.

This study contributes to an understating of how the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided a renewed sense of hope that has motivated undocumented students to continue their education and access to better employment opportunities. However, the support received from institutional agents varied significantly by state, given each state’s policies with regard to undocumented student access to higher education. Consequently, educational practices followed by institutional agents made a significant impact on allowing students to continue their post-secondary journey or blocking their pathway to higher education. In conclusion, we provide important insights into the lived experiences of Latina/o undocumented youth in relation to college access, persistence, retention and completion.

Authors

• Roberto G. Gonzales, Harvard University

• Maria Elena Luna-Duarte, Northeastern Illinois University