The term undocumented students refer to children who were brought to the United States by undocumented parents without the proper documentation ( Castro-Salazar and Bagley, 2012 ; Ritz, 2011 ). Prior to 2012, none of the undocumented students had an opportunity to obtain legal documents, such as a social security card or driver’s license ( Pérez, 2012 ; Pérez & Cortés, 2011 ); however, with DACA approval, undocumented students can attain lawful presence in the United States and have documentation (USCIS, 2014). For this reason, this study refers to these students as DACA students.
Published in Chapter:
DACA-Mexico Origin Students in the United States-Mexican Borderlands: Persistence, Belonging, and College Climate
Maggie Dominguez (University of Phoenix, USA) and Miriam L. Frolow (University of Phoenix, USA)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2783-2.ch002
Abstract
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program enabled more than 700,000 undocumented youth and young adults since 2012 the chance to have a lawful presence in the United States for a 2-year renewable period. With DACA status, college students could have access to financial aid and possibly in-state tuition, as well as opportunities to work legally. A correlational study was conducted in 2016-2017 with 30 DACA college students of Mexican Origin who were residing in California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. They completed an anonymous online survey about their intent to persist to degree completion, their views on the college climate for diversity, and their sense of belonging on campus. The results of the study confirm the need for higher education faculty and staff to provide services and resources and to build trust with this vulnerable student population.