This week’s readings focus on the issue of immigrant illegality and the liminal lives led by undocumented individuals living in the U.S. They also discuss the consequences of presidential discretion with regards to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In his extensive 12-year study, Gonzales (2015) follows the lives of 150 undocumented youth in Los Angeles as they transition into adulthood. He groups individuals into two groups, college-goers and early exiters, and found the early exiter experience to be characterized by “full-time work in low-wage jobs,” while college-goers embodied strong sense of belonging and optimism, earning them the title of DREAMers (Gonzales, 2015).
This article from The Atlantic describes the potential effects terminating DACA would have on higher education, an issue that targets the early-exiters and college-goers studied in Gonzales’s case. If DACA beneficiaries lose their work permits, they will no longer be able to legally work in the US. Without a legal income, many of those pursuing higher education will have no way to pay for college. This also makes those who plan on attending a university more reliant on financial aid, which is limited to publicly funded aid as DACA recipients do not have access to federal financial aid.
Discussion Question: What impact would DACA’s end have on the attitudes of early-exiters and college-goers towards pursuing higher education?
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/09/what-dacas-end-could-mean-for-colleges/540024/
Thanks for the post, Samantha. The article fits really well into this week with its focus on the lived experience of “Generation 1.5.” I would expect a lot of variance in DREAMers’ responses to an end to DACA, on account of 1) state policies on work and financial aid, and 2) other things that might effect their behavior like community support or family situation.
Because work permits are necessary, their sudden unavailability might drive many young people, especially those still in high school, to look to college as a way of staying in the country. It could also drive migration; some states are more friendly towards immigrants than others, and DACA’s disappearance would mean zero support for these people from the former camp.