Advocating for Our Undocumented Students
By Lyndsi Drysdale | December 2017
On September 5, 2017, Trump moved to remove the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This program has allowed students who are immigrants to pursue higher education within the United States without the fear of deportation. DACA research showed a reduction in fears associated with being deported and participation in the program is associated with greater integration and involvement in U.S. society. Trump states that he wants to create an improved program for DACA, but the process by which he plans to do this is unknown to those that it affects now. Not knowing how you stand within the country you call home can be a scary situation for our students.
Officials have stated “DACA recipients whose legal status expires on or before March 5 would be able to renew their two-year period of legal status as long as they apply by October 5.” Other than this statement, there has been no real hope given for those students who are receiving DACA. Some have stated that they feel like it is a punishment that they have come forth as an immigrant to pursue higher education only to be threatened to be deported.
Some things to remember as an educator:
Once a student or family reveals their status to you:
Providing these students with the supports that they need to be successful in school can make all the difference during this traumatic governmental change. It is up to creative educators and allied professionals to work together to accomplish the goal to support these student's rights to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE; Sulkowski, 2017). As school counselors, you have the ability to help these students to keep their rights to their free K-12 education. Secondary options are currently unknown for these students. In hopes of creating more opportunities when more secondary options open, these students need to stay in their K-12 programs more than ever and receive that education they deserve.
Teranishi, R. T., Suarez-Orozco, C., & Suarez-Orozco, M. (2015). In the shadows of the ivory tower: Undocumented undergraduates and the liminal state of immigration reform. Research Report by the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, & Education.
Wong, T. K., & Valdvia, C. (2014). In their own words: A nationwide survey of undocumented Millennials. Retrieved from https://unitedwedream.org/words-nationwide-survey-undocumented-millennials/
Officials have stated “DACA recipients whose legal status expires on or before March 5 would be able to renew their two-year period of legal status as long as they apply by October 5.” Other than this statement, there has been no real hope given for those students who are receiving DACA. Some have stated that they feel like it is a punishment that they have come forth as an immigrant to pursue higher education only to be threatened to be deported.
Some things to remember as an educator:
- No current law or policy requires educators, attendance officers, administrators, school resource officers, or any other school personnel to ask, check, or report the immigration status of the students or families they serve to ICE or any other government agency, organization, party, or group (Sulkowski, 2017).
- When obstacles arise related to registration and forms of identification, the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) protects students and allows students to enroll and be part of public education (Sulkowski, 2017).
Once a student or family reveals their status to you:
- Helping to provide a pathway to citizenship
- Facilitating school enrollment and participation
- Supporting students' academic success and psychosocial functioning
- Fostering family–school–community connections
- Connecting students to community partners that support immigrants:
- exploitation
- marginalization
- stigmatization
- parental loss
- residential instability
- other cascading adverse life experiences
Providing these students with the supports that they need to be successful in school can make all the difference during this traumatic governmental change. It is up to creative educators and allied professionals to work together to accomplish the goal to support these student's rights to a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE; Sulkowski, 2017). As school counselors, you have the ability to help these students to keep their rights to their free K-12 education. Secondary options are currently unknown for these students. In hopes of creating more opportunities when more secondary options open, these students need to stay in their K-12 programs more than ever and receive that education they deserve.
References
Sulkowski, M. L. (2017). Unauthorized immigrant students in the United States: The current state of affairs and the role of public education. Children and Youth Services Review, 62-68. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.04.006Teranishi, R. T., Suarez-Orozco, C., & Suarez-Orozco, M. (2015). In the shadows of the ivory tower: Undocumented undergraduates and the liminal state of immigration reform. Research Report by the Institute for Immigration, Globalization, & Education.
Wong, T. K., & Valdvia, C. (2014). In their own words: A nationwide survey of undocumented Millennials. Retrieved from https://unitedwedream.org/words-nationwide-survey-undocumented-millennials/