“I WISH THEY KNEW WE EXISTED”: THE ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES OF LATINX COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MIXED-STATUS FAMILIES

Abstract

According to the Pew Research Center (2016), there are approximately 3.9 million children in the U.S. educational system who have at least one undocumented parent. This study aims to explore the academic experiences of Latinx college students in mixed-status families to find ways in which institutions can better support them on their higher education pathways. Student participants in this study grew up with at least one undocumented parent; a few were able to witness the transition from their parent’s undocumented status to U.S. residency. Thirtyone qualitative interviews oriented by Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action were utilized to center the voices of sixteen Latinx/a/o college students in mixed-status families. Findings suggest that students with undocumented parents experience multigenerational punishment when it comes to their academics. Specifically, Latinx students who are U.S. citizens with undocumented parents understand that they must protect their parents at all costs (emotional, physical, financial, aspirational, time). For example, some students faced educational costs when protecting and caring for their undocumented parents by staying close to home after college, often choosing family over their educational aspirations. Students must also learn to navigate bureaucratic processes like the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) via self-advocacy efforts and by building support systems in college. Furthermore, national, state, and local immigration policies have heavily impacted Latinx college students in mixedstatus families. Student participants feared their parent’s deportation while in college, experienced heightened anxiety during the Trump Presidency and shared unjust conditions faced by their families during the Covid-19 pandemic. ix Latinx college students in mixed-status families with U.S. resident parents also experience lingering effects of multigenerational punishment by witnessing their parents transition from a marginalized identity to a privileged identity. Findings suggest that Latinx students in mixed-status families with U.S. resident parents acknowledge their parents’ privileges as residents while continuing to care about issues facing the undocumented community. Finally, findings suggest that DACA students continue to feel unprotected and unsupported as they undergo their undergraduate studies. The study provides recommendations for higher education institutions to facilitate access, retention, and completion of degrees among this student population.