Higher Education Retention Among DACA Recipients
Amy Orozco
Colorado State University
Introduction
Education is essential for any individual living in today’s society. Not only does an education allow one to learn how to read, write, and do math; it gives the privilege to gain knowledge on various things, how to function in society, and allows one to develop a better understanding of the world, especially higher-level education such as going to college. Though higher-level education is important, not everyone is fortunate enough to easily obtain a higher-level education in the United States. Dreamers are undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S when they were children and meet the requirements of the DREAM Act (Stephens, 2018). Being undocumented means one is not a citizen and came to the U.S. without legal permission or stayed longer than the period one was authorized (Oliveres, Chavez, Soriano, & Tierney, 2006). The DREAM act stands for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors and it was an act that aimed to help Dreamers obtain legal status in the U.S.; however, it failed to pass in 2001 and as of September of 2017 it still has not passed (Stephens, 2018). Being undocumented has made it difficult for Dreamers to attain a higher-level education due to the financial stress of having to pay for college out of pocket and not being able to receive financial aid from the government (Oliveres et al., 2006). There are about 65,000 undocumented students that graduate from high school each year in the U.S. and only about five to ten percent are able to attend college (Oliveres et al., 2006). Being that there are many Dreamers having difficulty attaining a higher-level education, the Obama administration implemented the DACA programs in 2012 (Stephens, 2018). DACA stands for the Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals and is a policy that allows undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to defer deportation and obtain social security numbers. (Stephens, 2018). DACA facilitated access to higher education for Dreamers and there are about 690,000 active DACA recipients (which are also known as DACAmented individuals) as of September 4, 2017 (Lopez & Krogstad, 2017). DACAmented individuals are 15 to 30-year-old males and females, and 79.4% of them were born in Mexico making most of the DACAmented individuals of Hispanic/Latino descent. (Lopez & Krogstad, 2017). President Barack Obama provided a temporary relief through DACA for Dreamers to continue their education, however, the start of Donald Trump’s presidency this year might pose a potential threat to the program. The trump administration announced that it will end the program by the 5th of March 2018 (Lopez & Krogstad, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to explore the risk and protective factors for higher education retention among DACA recipients.
Risk and Protective Factors for Education Retention Among DACA Recipients
Micro-Level Risk and Protective factors
The Immigrant population in the U.S. is growing rapidly and make up a large portion of the population in the U.S. Furthermore, this will continue to grow within the next few decades. (Teranishi, C. Suarez-Orozco, & M. Suarez-Orozco, 2011). Many immigrant students are at greater risk for financial need than those who are non- immigrants. The access to financial aid is crucial as it is a contributing factor to the enrollment and retention of higher education for immigrating students. Dreamers face a bigger range of challenges when seeking for ways to pay for their college education. DACAmented students fall in the ineligible for financial student aid category. This means that they are ineligible to receive Federal Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study, or federal student loans (Sanchez & Smith, 2017). Their only way to acquire any type of financial aid is through state or institution-specific funding such as scholarships, grants, and work-study (Sanchez & Smith, 2017). The lack of financial aid is what leads to several negative impacts of higher education retention among DACAmented students. Without receiving financial assistance, it makes it difficult to resume an education.
Though undocumented Immigrant students face several financial struggles, there are other forms of support that they can acquire in order to get through difficult challenges. A large majority of DACAmented students are Hispanic and Latino (Lopez and Krogstad, 2017). This ethnic minority is linked to low educational achievement in the educational system (Gándara & Contreras 2009). However, when these students have family and peer support networks, their chances of higher education retention increase.
DACAmented students who have older siblings, serve as mentors to guide them through the process of applying to colleges (Perez, 2010). Moreover, said older siblings may also be undocumented and can provide pre-established contacts and resources for their younger siblings. (Perez, 2010). Furthermore, parental support is a contributing factor for the success of ethnic minority college students. A supportive relationship between the parents and the student is an important factor for the psychological well-being and better emotional adjustment of ethnic minority college students (Dennis, Phinney, & Chuateco, 2005).
Peer networks also play an influential and supportive role in whether or not undocumented students will pursue a higher education. Undocumented students with peers who attend higher education institutions are more likely to also enroll in higher education institutions (Perez, 2010). For example, in Perez’s study (2010), a student had migrated with a friend from Mexico, and they both followed the same higher education path. Having someone by one’s side while going through the same or similar situation, and getting through it, is what encourages students to continue on and keep fighting. Additionally, Undocumented students can form peer groups in order to provide each other information on how to access resources, and also works as a means of emotional support (Hallett, 2013). Social support is crucial as it can serve as a safety net for DACAmented students. When these students run into challenges, they are able to turn to peers in order to overcome these said challenges.
Mezzo Level Risk and Protective factors
Attending higher education institutions can be very expensive. The average cost for in-state four-year public universities is $9,970 for the 2017-2018 school year, and the cost for out- of-state is $25, 620 (Average, n.d.). Furthermore, the average cost for public two-year institutions such as community colleges for the 2017-2018 school year is $3,570 (Average, n.d). Naturalized Citizens and permanent residents are eligible for in-state tuition, leaving undocumented students ineligible to pay in-state tuition (Teranishi et al., 2011). Due to the low cost of community colleges, DACAmented students usually enroll in these institutions (Teranishi et al., 2011). Additionally, there are community colleges that are attempting to help DACAmented students financially. Truckee Meadows Community College in Nevada (TMCC) for example, created and launched a new grant for DACAmented students in 2015 (Sanchez & Smith, 2017). This scholarship granted DACAmented students $1,000 (Sanchez & Smith, 2017). The TMCC grant provided financial help to DACAmented students, which in turn could result in higher education retention for these students as it decreases the financial stresses of education.
Providing financial aid to DACAmented students is a form of helping them, however, there are also other ways institutions can promote higher education retention among undocumented students. Institutions are able to provide the setting for the support groups, and also can aid in making a healthy environment so DACAmented students feel like they belong. Higher education institutions provide a more organized form of providing access to information and resources for the students (Hallett, 2013). Moreover, institutions have institutional agents working there that can help assist and empower students in support groups by helping with the complicated educational process, such as submitting financial aid applications, and other forms of complex issues that the students may encounter (Hallett, 2013). They are also able to advocate for the students with the purpose of developing awareness in order to transform students, their community, and society (Hallett, 2013). The populations that are entering higher education institutions over the years has been more diverse. Hallett (2013) argues that it is important for institutions to understand how higher education retention occurs within the diverse population. If students feel that they are respected and valued, it informs the decisions of retention (Hallett, 2013). Additionally, if Institutions provide the means for students to get involved in cultural related activities, then it is expected for the retention rate of students to increase (Hallett, 2013). It is crucial for higher education institutions to provide a good environment for these DACAmented students. Feeling the sense of belongingness on the campus and for one being able to participate in cultural activities will allow individuals to feel more comfortable and will make them want to continue their education as they feel supported by the institution and the community within the campus.
Macro Level Risk and Protective Factors
Due to the DREAM act not getting passed by Congress in earlier years, President Barrack Obama felt the need to take executive action and passed the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals (DACA Program) in the month of June of 2012 (Malik, 2015). Before the DACA program, Dreamers faced many hurdles when it came to higher education attainment. Said barriers included not being able to pay for a higher education and psychological barriers such as anxiety, stress, and feelings of exclusion due to being undocumented in the U.S. (Malik, 2015). This program provided financial and psychological relief for Dreamers by allowing them to delay deportation on a temporary basis and by allowing them to gain access to in-state tuition in certain states. Though this program does not grant U.S. citizenship, DACAmented students are given social security numbers which they can use to submit an application for Federal Financial Aid to receive their family contribution number (Malik, 2015). The family contribution number helps these students in order to obtain institutional financial help in certain universities and states (Malik, 2015). By opening doors to financial aid to DACAmented students, it has given them some relief of the cost of attending a higher-level education institution. Additionally, DACA has provided psychological relief to these students. With DACA, they are less stressed, less anxious, and feel a sense of belonging. Their sense of belonging comes from being integrated into the institutions they attend and with mainstream society (Malik, 2015).
This program has provided positive outcomes for DACAmented students and many have benefited from it. However, with the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidency, the DACA program may come to an end. On September 5, 2017, Donald Trump announced that the Trump administration will phase out the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals program that was established by former President Barrack Obama in 2012 (Hughes, 2017). President Trump claimed that his decision of ending the program was to protect the laws of the United States (Hughes, 2017). Moreover, President Trump left the issue to Congress and gave them six months in order to develop a solution (Hughes, 2017). President Trump’s decision sent a wave of fear to all the DACA recipients across the nation and leaving them with the question of what will happen once the program ends. DACAmented students may not be able to continue higher education when the program ends due to their legal status and lack of financial resources leaving them back to square one.
Conclusion
The population of undocumented students has increased throughout the years and keeps on increasing. The support of family members and peers has had a positive influence on the education retention of the students. Institutions have established grants to DACAmented students in order to relieve financial burdens on the cost of college since these students aren’t eligible to receive financial aid. Furthermore, Institutions have provided other forms of support to Dreamers such as providing the setting for support groups to be developed and having Institutional agents that help empower Dreamers. The support groups and agents are able to encourage these students and guide them in the right directions to get a hold of resources. The DACA program that was established in 2012 has allowed many students to continue their education by giving them social security number which can lead students to financial aid help. DACA also provided relief of not being deported and made DACAmented students feel a sense of belongingness. President Trump’s decision of ending DACA puts all DACAmented students at risk for continuing a higher-level education. It is unknown as to what will happen within the six months. Congress may or may not come up with a resolution to the ending of DACA issue in so little time. Regardless of the decision, it will have an effect on DACAmented students. Social Workers will most likely encounter individuals that are under the DACA program, especially those that work in school settings. Moreover, service and social justice are core values of the social work profession. Meaning social workers must provide the best service they can provide and to promote social justice. Providing the best service to DACAmented students by providing resources and support will help with their higher education retention. Social Workers are to be the first in advocating for this population and promote social justice by supporting to keep the DACA program.
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