Access to College Education for Undocumented Students
Access to college education for the undocumented students in the US continues to be a pressing topic for policymakers and scholars. The federal law makes the illegal immigrants ineligible in accessing many public benefits including education. Kerwin et al states that young people who live in the country illegally face many barriers in their attempts to obtain higher education (Kerwin et al 19).
Financial and Psychological Challenges
The problems include difficulties in paying for living expenses and tuition fee. Additionally, undocumented students face psychological challenges such as stress and anxiety. Pérez states that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) denotes to be a milestone in enabling the undocumented students to get federal help and hence overcome the challenges (Pérez 5).
Barriers to In-State Tuition and Financial Benefits
Moreover, Sanam indicates, the cost of higher education signifies to be a significant barrier to the illegal students. Many states do not allow these students to access in-state tuition and financial benefits (Sanam 15). As such, DACA eases the financial pressures.
The Economic Strain of DACA
However, Blume in his study notes that the DACA is a strain to the economy (Blume 9).
Importance of Federal Help
However, McHugh emphasizes that help from the federal government will be essential in eliminating educational barriers and offer a conducive environment for success (McHugh 13). The problems that are brought about by the unauthorized status will be removed. Giving help to DACA will be critical in building a sense of inclusion, and thus the illegal students will be integrated into the institution mainstream and thus foster a sense of belonging.
Bibliography
Blume, Grant. "Funding Postsecondary Education for Undocumented Students in the United States". Evans School Review, vol 1, no. 1, 2011. University Of Washington Libraries, doi:10.7152/esr.v1i1.12248.
Blume notes that access to college education for the undocumented students denotes to be one of the most controversial issues in postsecondary education. The scholarly source postulates that offering education to these students is unlawful. According to the article, providing help the students strains and overburdens the college education system. The article mentions that the illegal students who lack proper immigration credentials to live in the country lawfully should not receive any help from the government. The methodology relied on scholarly research journal articles that were less than ten years. In his research, Blume mentions that 1.8 million out of the 12 million people are children. According to him, helping the huge number will lead to a strain on the public resources and the economy as a whole. According to the article, in the face of the unlimited resources, undocumented students significantly consume vast education resources which should be allocated to the US legal students. This drains savings, and it is a burden to the taxpayer.
Kerwin, Donald, et al. "The DACA Era and the Continuous Legalization Work of the US Immigrant-Serving Community." 2017. New York: CMS. http://cmsny. org/publications/legalization-report.
The article presents a report on DACA era as well as the legalization of the US immigrant to work. The findings are based on the existing statutory as well as administration framework of federal policy. The authors reveal that the immigrant-serving community in the US has achieved fundamental gains in legal status for a significant numbers of the immigrants. The achievements have boosted the effort to enhance professionalism in the immigrant-serving community to support de facto legalization efforts. The article presents the existing needs of the immigrants and why the DACA students should get federal college assistance to meet their educational goals. The report recommends that immigrant-serving sector should continue pursuing the screening of undocumented immigrants in the preparation of the legalization program. The study also presents both educational and professional achievement of DACA individuals and the benefit of the program to the immigration sector. The article concludes that support and expansion of DACA program will reduce higher education barriers as well as challenges faced by undocumented students. The article also warns that the access to the federal assistance would not completely eliminate obstacles faced by immigrants.
Malik, Sanam. "DACA helps undocumented students access higher education." 2015. Center for American Progress, April 7.
The article presents how DACA program has helped undocumented students to further their higher education. Malik presents the population of the students who graduate from high schools and face challenges to join colleges due to lack of legal status. The article also presents the approval process of the DACA initiative by former President Obama and its primary objectives. The report justifies how DACA program assists in easing burdens facing undocumented students when trying to access a college education. Malik argues that the program gives over 300,000 students in the United States chance to continue with their higher education as well as applying the skills and training in the job market. The author reports that over 1.5 million immigrants are eligible for DACA, with already hundreds of thousand young adults who have received DACA being able to access higher education. According to this article, delaying the DACA expansion to enable college student access federal assistance means locking out hundreds of thousand learners from accessing higher education.
McHugh, Margie. "Diploma, please: Promoting educational attainment for DACA-and potential DREAM Act-eligible youth." 2014. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute.
The article presents how DACA program has provided relief to the US immigrant from deportation. The results indicate that there are over 2.1 million immigrants that are targeted by the DACA program when pursuing their higher education. However, the author notes reluctantly of many youths from signing for the program due to $465 application fee. Again, some of the immigrants may not be willing to go back to school since DACA requires applicants who do not have high school diploma to join adult education program. The article also examines challenges faced by young immigrants when trying to apply for DACA, especially those over 19 years and do not have high school diploma. Based on the findings of this study, DACA program provides higher education breakthrough to the young immigrants and remedies financial challenges in colleges and universities. The conclusion and recommendations suggest that policymakers, training and education program managers, as well as other government and private stakeholders, should support the education program of immigrants.
Pérez Zenen Jaimes. Removing Barriers to Higher Education for Undocumented Students. Center for American progress. 2014. https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/removing-barriers-for-undocumented-students.pdf. Accessed July 16, 2018
In this document, Pérez postulates that removing barriers to higher education for the undocumented students is fundamental to achieving equality. The study methodology examines the current landscape of tuition. It also examines Educational attainment of undocumented youth. The author reports that 40% of undocumented young people of 18- 24 ages do not complete high school, compared with 8% of U.S.-born children and the percentage is higher in high school Indeed, the access to higher education for the illegal students has been major issues that impact on educational attainment. The economic and political barriers that prevent the undocumented students from getting college education prevent them from actualizing their education. The students need to be provided with the legal pathways to receiving post-secondary education as helps to reduce the mismatch between the demand of educational workers and the supply of workers. It reduces problems arising from crimes and promotes job growth. Congress needs to pass immigration reform legislation in order to create a pathway that would impact on provision of education among the undocumented students.
Works Cited
Blume, Grant. "Funding Postsecondary Education for Undocumented Students in the United States". Evans School Review, vol 1, no. 1, 2011. University Of Washington Libraries, doi:10.7152/esr.v1i1.12248.
Kerwin, Donald, et al. "The DACA Era and the Continuous Legalization Work of the US Immigrant-Serving Community." New York: CMS. http://cmsny. Org/publications/legalization-report (2017).
Malik, Sanam. "DACA helps undocumented students access higher education." Center for American Progress, April 7 (2015).
McHugh, Margie. "Diploma, please: Promoting educational attainment for DACA-and potential DREAM Act-eligible youth." Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute (2014).
Pérez Zenen Jaimes. Removing Barriers to Higher Education for Undocumented Students. Center for American progress. 2014. https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/removing-barriers-for-undocumented-students.pdf. Accessed July 16, 2018.
