Resources

According to the Center for American Progress, 65,000 undocumented students per year graduate from high school and as of 2015 640000 students had obtained DACA. Those with DACA are able to work legally for higher wages and are able to reacher higher education more easily. Having DACA reduces anxiety and stress, thus making quality of living and level of performance better for these students. They are also aid to access financial aid more easily. With Trump entering office and the fate of DACA currently unknown, it is now important for schools to really stress the resources available to undocumented students without DACA. I have already discussed colleges and sanctuary campuses and what resources universities can offer, now I will go over what high school guidance counselors should start stressing to students.  It is also important to note, that these resources are just as important, if not more important, with DACA as they are if DACA were to be ended. 

According to the college board website, while some people may think they cannot get into college if they are undocumented, there are no laws prohibiting proof of citizenship, although acceptance into colleges may vary based on their values. When applying, it is important to know the colleges and whether or not they will allow acceptance. They stress that it is important for counselors to reach out to undocumented students as soon as possible so they can shape a path for that student to follow including application to DACA, financial aid, and researching universities. Get to know the state laws and look into scholarships that are available to undocumented students. If these can get addressed in early age, it could destigmatize the image that follows undocumented students especially when it comes to the California state law regarding out of state tuition fees that could with an exemption making higher education more accessible (Abrego). Although Abrego only looks into those state laws, in theory, just by introducing how accessible higher education can be and working that in to destigmatize the image, more undocumented students could become more motivated to seek it and resist the stigma and the boundaries holding them back from achieving their American dream. Dougherty defines the American dream as being “a national vision about what brings success,” and there are three types of successes – 1) absolute, 2) relative in comparison, or 3) competitive (p.159, 2011). Keeping that in mind, with the different types of successes, it is relatively easy to live out the American dream because they have a sense of motivation and constant motivation derived from their past. With the right mentors in place and given the necessary resources to understand what they need to do in order to go to college, undocumented students have the potential to have more motivation than anyone to reach for success and work hard to do so. If they have the drive and potential to be successful, they absolutely have the equal rights to an education. They should not be subjected to dirty work or deportation based on their immigration status, if they have the will to go to college to get a job that is not only going to provide their families with a better more stable future, but also for their own well-being and more opportunities for their children in the future. 

In Undocumented Immigrants and Higher Education: Sí Se Puede!, Rincon believes that “principles of equality and human dignity, as well as constitutional guarantees, form the most basic rationale for all formal and informal efforts to extend to undocumented immigrant students the right of equal access to higher education,” but later goes on to argue that there are polarized points of view on the matter and that based on views and beliefs (p. 215, 2008). This is what makes the topic of undocumented students a tough topic to discuss because, although by law, one does not have to have legal citizenship to apply to a college, it is up to the colleges to make the decisions whether or not to accept them. It is also up to the college on what measures they will take to offer equal opportunity, protect them, and bare the potential risks associated on either side of the argument. So yes, it is possible in lower education to prepare undocumented students for college, motivate them and provide them with information and resources, but it is up to the institutions (university level and below) and the values they have and their willingness to accommodate the students that decides whether or not those student will actually gain access to that education. Kirby and Hater discuss the managerial metaphor and the implications of language in the work place, and found that a lot of business what diversity because it makes them look good (2003). If educational institutions are going to work on diversity withing the institution, they need to find an approach to keep the people in charge of college acceptance informed when it comes to managing diversity. This is especially important when handling undocumented students because not only are they diverse in their race, but also in their experiences. It can be tricky because there are both negative and positive connotations associated with having them in the institution. When these institutions are facing change for the future, they will benefit from following Allen’s three recommendations for communicating social identity – be mindful, be proactive, and fill you communication toolbox (2011). Universities need to be mindful in the way they view undocumented students and their potential, upbringing and skills.Being mindful could create a better understanding of the students who are looking to attend the school and could help them look past their immigration status and value what those students can bring to the table and understand where they are coming from so they can figure out how to accommodate. Being mindful could also potentially lead to the school gaining a better understanding on the values held by the institution and have a better idea of what they are looking for in not just undocumented students, but all students. They also need to be proactive in defining the type of institution they want to be and make sure it is known to the students looking into the schools. Communicating the values the university/college has will lead undocumented students to have a clearer understanding on whether or not they will fit with the community of the school. This all leads to the university filling their communication toolbox and understanding how to continue to grow and adapt to what is going on in society,