This presentation is about the need for immigration reform as it relates to students that have a desire to pursue higher education. It provides demographic information about the current undocumented student population in the US as well as how to emotionally support undocumented college students.

1. Undocumented.
Unsupported.
Unacceptable.
Joel Pérez, Dean of Inclusion & Student
Leadership Programs/Chief Diversity Officer
George Fox University

2. Who is in the room?

3. Why is this topic important for
us?
The number of undocumented students in the K-
12 system will be looking to go to college
Increase in documented and undocumented
blended families across the U.S.
Impact on the education system across the U.S.

4. Why is this topic
important?
All people working within the education system
will continue to work with this population group
All of us have the responsibility to be aware of
this situation and become informed about its
current state
This topic effects all of those for and against
laws allowing undocumented students to attend a
public school system and, in some states,
provide in-state tuition and financial aid

5. Road Map
Who are they?
Federal & State Policies
Challenges
Helping students persist
Life after college
Emotional and mental health
Effective strategies
Resources

6. 6
Who are they?

7. Immigration Status
Entered
without
authorization
Entered with
Visa and
overstayed
visa
Are currently
in the
process of
legalizing

8. National Population Estimates
*Urban Institute 2009
Country Undocumented
Population in US
Mexico 6.65 Million
El Salvador 530,000
Guatemala 480,000
Honduras 320,000
Philippines 270,000
India 200,000
Korea 200,000
Ecuador 170,000
Brazil 150,000
China 120,000
Canada 75,000

9. National Statistics
Total
population in
the US: 11-
12 million
people
Under 18:
Over 1.1
million
people
Annual high
school
graduates:
65,000
students
Enroll in
college each
year: 7,000
– 13,000
students

10. Federal & State
Policies

11. Overview of State
Policies
 In-state Tuition (NCSL.org)
 California
 Texas
 Utah
 New York
 Washington
 Oklahoma
 Oregon
 Illinois
 Kansas
 New Mexico
 Maryland
 Nebraska
 Connecticut
 Colorado

12.  Plyler vs. Doe & Martinez vs. Regents
 Prohibit In-State Tuition
 Arizona
 Colorado
 Indiana
 South Carolina
 Banned students from applying to certain colleges
 Alabama
 Banned students from applying to certain colleges
Overview of State
Policies

13.  State Financial Aid
 California (AB 130 & AB 131)
 New Mexico
 Texas
 Illinois
Overview of State
Policies

14. Federal D.R.E.A.M. Act
 Development, Relief and Education
for Alien Minors Act (2001)
 Came before age of 16
 Graduated HS or Equivalent
 12-30 years old at point of solicitation
 5 consecutive years in the US
 Good moral character
 The Process
 6 year conditional residency
Eligible to work, drive, take out loan
Not eligible for state/federal aid
 2 years of college or military service

15. DACA Background
 DACA=Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
 Announced on June 15, 2012
 Available as of August 15, 2012
DACA is a DHS
Policy, not a law
or a Presidential
Order
Why does
this matter?

16. Not in removal
proceedings
Currently in removal
proceedings
Have a removal
order
How does DACA help?
Avoid being removed if…

17. DACA is Temporary
Deferred Action
Work
authorization
(Employment Authorization
Document)
Social
security
number
Open an account
at any financial
institution
Federal
photo ID
Driver’s
license/State
ID?
Renewable after two years

18. What DACA is NOT
Legal Immigration Status
Green Card
Pathway to Citizenship
The DREAM Act
Legalization
Amnesty

19. Challenges for
Undocumented Students

20. Drivers License

21. College Admissions

22. Financial Aid

23. Employment

24. Helping Students
Persist

25. • Establish trust and build relationships with
students and their families
• Give them hope, tell students they can go
to colleges, but some options are not
available to them
• Be open-minded, don’t make assumptions
about which students are undocumented
Helping Students Persist

26. Helping Students Persist
Partnership with community &
church organizations
Help students develop their network
and identify people who can help
them
Refer students to qualified legal
counsel

27. Helping Student Persist
Network
Provide support network
Be aware of your own assumptions about
the undocumented.
Undocumented students are a diverse
group who are not individually
distinguishable from every other student.
Each group has its own cultural tendencies
about revealing themselves to others.

28. Helping Students Persist
If a student reveals that he or she is
undocumented or their parents, do
not interrogate them about their
immigration status
Do not assume that you know what it
means to be undocumented. They
may not want you to do anything, as
much as they need information or
referral

29. Life After College

30. Earning a Living
In this section, we have outlined some legal ways
to earn money in the United States.
It is a student’s responsibility to determine
whether he/she may legally pursue these options
based on his/her immigration status.
He/she should be sure to consult with an
experienced immigration lawyer first.

31. Independent Contractor
Student can provide client with either SSN or ITIN
Student is not required to discuss immigration
status with clients
Basic guidelines for independent contract work
Examples
Tutoring
Promotions

32. Worker-Owned Cooperatives or
LLCs
Student is co-owner of business
Student is not required to provide any personal
information to client (use LLC EIN)
Student is not required to discuss immigration
status with clients
No employee-employer relationship

33. 33
Emotional & Mental Health

34. 34
Emotional & Mental Health
Displaced
Discriminated
Targeted

35. 35
Displacement
Leave
Escape poverty, violence &
persecution
Leave home behind
Crossing the border
Assimilation
Lack of resources
Conflicting values
Unfamiliar with institutions
Never Return
Trapped

36. 36
Discriminated
Limitations as a result of immigration
status
Cannot legally be employed
Cannot get a driver’s license
Can be deported at any point if reported or
caught
Cannot access spaced that require a valid
state or federal ID
Cannot access federal/state financial aid
Cannot travel to places with checkpoints
Cannot vote
Cannot travel outside the country
Cannot get licensed as a professional

37. 37
Targeted
Come to understand our immigration
status as dangerous to them and their
families

38. 38
Targeted
Detention
Deportation
Denied access to basic
necessities
Verbally/Physically Attacked
Rejected & Isolated
Abused or Exploited
Dehumanized

39. Creating a Safe Space
 Awareness of Citizen Privilege
 Awareness of language
 Courageous conversations
 Posters, books, articles, stickers…
 DON’T ask students to self-identify
 Create a physical space

40.  Not Just Undocumented…
 Find your sacred space
 Learn how to DREAM again…
 Make Allies
 Connect with emotional, mental &
spiritual support
Reclaiming & Healing

41. Effective Strategies
Take responsibility for your own education on
issues related to the undocumented.
Assume that the issues of prejudice and
discrimination of immigrants and others are
everyone’s concern, not just the concern of those
who are targets of prejudice and discrimination

42. Effective Strategies
Assume that young people have a right to
education and they have done nothing wrong to
become undocumented
Assume that immigration policy changes and it is
just a matter of time before there is
comprehensive immigration reform that gives law
abiding, educated young people a pathway to
legal residency and naturalization

43. Effective Strategies
Assume that US raised undocumented immigrant
youth want to stay in the US and realize the
“American Dream” as much as any other US
born and raised youth
Avoid engaging in giving advice or assistance
that would compromise their future pathway to
citizenship

44. Effective Strategies
Create opportunities for allies to reduce
xenophobia and create a welcoming campus
climate
Within the spirit of academic standards and legal
requirements, become flexible about course and
program requirements so that they do not cause
barriers for undocumented students’ academic
success
Graciously accept any gratitude you may receive,
but do not expect gratitude.

45. Resources
Financial Aid
www.maldef.org
www.scholarshipsaz.org
www.e4fc.org

46. Resources
Internet
National Immigration Forum
www.immigrationforum.org
Friends Committee on National Legislation
www.fcnl.org/immigration/
Mennonite Central Committee
mcc.org/mccstore (search “immigration” for free
downloads)
Christians for Comprehensive Immigration
Reform
faithandimmigration.org

47. Resources
Books
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
A Home on the Field: How One Championship Soccer Team
Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America by Paul
Cuadros
Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of
Economic Integration by Douglas S. Massey
Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese
American Family by Lauren Kessler
Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
Girls Like Us by Helen Thorpe
Other authors: Isabelle Allende, Julia Alvarez, Jimmy Santiago
Baca, Sandra Cisneros, Francisco Jimenez, Pat Mora, Luis
Rodriguez

48. Resources
Films
The Visitor (2007, Drama, PG-13)
Crossing Over (2009, Drama, R)
Under the Same Moon (2007, Drama, PG-13)
A Day Without a Mexican (2004, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, R)
Sin Nombre (2009, Drama, R)
Which Way Home (2009, Documentary)
Papers: Stories of undocumented youth (2009, Documentary)
A Better Life (2011, Drama, PG-13)
Spanglish (2004, Comedy, PG-13)
My Family/Mi Familia (1995, Drama, R)
El Norte (1984, Drama, N/R)
Food, Inc. (2008, Documentary, PG)

49. Contact Information
@joelperezdp
jperez@georgefox.edu
joel.perez (503) 554-2305
Joel Pérez, Ph.D.
Website joelperez.net