Blocked Paths, Uncertain Futures: The Postsecondary Education and Labor Market Prospects of Undocumented Latino Youth

Abstract

Over the past few decades, undocumented settlement in the United States has grown to unprecedented numbers. Among the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants, a substantial portion of undocumented youth is growing up with legal access to public education through high school but facing legal restrictions and economic barriers to higher education and the workforce. Every year, about 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school nationwide. Like other children of immigrants, they plan to remain in the United States, but these young men and women have few means out of poverty. We provide a blueprint for assessing the future prospects of undocumented youth by offering a brief analysis of immigration and educational policies that currently affect the U.S. undocumented youth population and summarizing what is known about undocumented students' educational and occupational barriers and opportunities, particularly as they transition out of high school. We also discuss potential solutions to improve their circumstances and tap into their talents. Without broader means to obtain a postsecondary education and legally participate in adult life, these young men and women are a vulnerable population at risk for poverty and hardship. However, if given opportunities to pursue higher education and work legally in this country, these bilingual, bicultural students would benefit U.S. taxpayers and the economy overall.

We contributed equally to this article and are listed in alphabetical order.

Notes

¹In this article, we focus on Latino undocumented youth. Although undocumented students make up only a small subset of the entire Latino population, the vast majority of all undocumented students come from Latin American countries. Current restrictive immigration policies disproportionately affect Latin American immigrants (De Genova, 2004; Passel, 2005). It is estimated that 81% of undocumented immigrants are Latino (Passel & Cohn, 2008). Consequently, although there is evidence to suggest that a considerable number of undocumented college students also come from Asia and other parts of the world (Buenavista & Tran, 2010; Chan, 2008; Passel, 2005; University of California Office of the President, 2008), most undocumented youth come from Mexico, Central America, and other Latin American countries.

²Given their vulnerability, it is difficult to ascertain the size of the undocumented population. Even in the most reliable data, it is difficult to disaggregate undocumented youth by race/ethnicity or by generation—first versus 1.5 generation. Mexicans and other Latin American origin groups make up the biggest shares of the undocumented population as a whole, but it is unclear whether their children are equally distributed among the undocumented youth population. Moreover, existing figures do not include undocumented youth who are transitioning to adulthood and out of the under 18 category—including those who are still of traditional college age.

³This has become increasingly apparent in the recent deportation orders for high school and college students throughout the country, including in California, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Washington.

⁴457 U.S. 202, 215 (1982). Although this ruling has since been challenged, it remains law, thereby enabling thousands of undocumented students to graduate from high school each year.

⁵Brennan, J. Opinion of the Court, Supreme Court of the United States. Plyler v. Doe: 457 U.S. 202. Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. No. 80–1538 Argued: December 1, 1981---Decided: June 15, 1982.

⁶These figures are significantly higher than earlier estimates of 1 in 20 undocumented children going on to college (Passel, 2003). Although it is difficult to account for all of the undocumented students in institutions of higher education, we believe much of this increase can be attributed to states' in-state tuition policies and may not be spread equally across states.