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ABSTRACT
In 2011, Ohio passed state-wide legislation prohibiting undocumented students from receiving in-state resident tuition (ISRT). In 2013, a student-led advocacy campaign resulted in the Ohio Board of Regents extending ISRT consideration to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a subsection of the larger population of undocumented students. This qualitative study examines the impact of DACA on ISRT policies and their implementation, particularly in states that have incongruent ISRT policy environments impacting their growing immigrant communities. This qualitative work utilizes a critical race methodology to analyze the perspectives of nine racially diverse DACA recipients as they applied to predominately white institutions (PWIs) of higher education across the state. Regardless of acknowledged or unacknowledged ISRT eligibility, evidence suggests public institutions of higher education in Ohio categorize DACA college applicants as “international for processing purposes (IFPP)” which creates additional, often unclear, administrative steps for applicants. These steps, when coupled with microaggressive interactions with staff who are largely unaware or misinformed about DACA, jeopardize applicants’ college enrollment. The result is a complex and inequitable admissions process full of incongruent policies and reliance on a racist-nativist infrastructure in the implementation of Ohio’s ISRT policy.
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the participants in this study for their willingness to share their experiences and knowledge with me. I take great honor in your trust.
Thank you to Christina Yaniga, Aaron Romano-Meade, and the anonymous reviewers who gave transformative feedback on earlier versions of the manuscript. I want to especially thank Dr. Liliana M. Garces, Associate Editor, The Journal of Higher Education who provided thoughtful feedback and guidance to strengthen this work during the review process.
To my family: Sheila, Luis Rogelio, y Nandito gracias por su amor, apoyo, y paciencia.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Consideration for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process, http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-process.
2. DACA recipients.
3. The phrase originates from Melissa, a participant, recollecting staff’s explanation about why she did not qualify for an application fee waiver.
4. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.
5. The Federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.
6. Named after the state’s official tree the Aesculus glabra.
7. Past, present, or future.
8. As defined by Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 3333.31subsection (E)(4).
9. Comprised of public demonstrations, community discussion panels, media interviews, and an online petition.
10. This ruling excluded undocumented students without DACA as well as those who fell out of status.
11. Principally, but not exclusively, the experiences of Chicana/o and Latina/o communities in the United States.
12. Ohio’s public universities remain predominately white institutions (PWIs) (https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/area-college-students-remain-mostly-white-wealthy/b5zUwrxy7sTCRnAmK5urnJ/).
13. The phrase comes from Qing’s description of events.
14. Where he attended the past few years, categorized as an international student tuition.
15. A centralized online application platform used by approximately 700 member colleges and universities in the U.S.
16. An admission process that usually requires students to submit an application early in their senior year of high school in order to receive top consideration for merit scholarships and university honors programs.
17. USCIS’ official form number for DACA.
18. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the English language ability of non-native speakers enrolling in English-speaking universities.