Undocumented immigrants arriving in the United States as minors navigate tremendous constraints as they transition into adolescence and adulthood. Exclusionary immigration laws profoundly shape and complicate the attainment of important milestones and the decisions undocumented minors make about their adult futures. A significant body of research,…

Politics and education have always been closely entwined, but recent interactions with colleagues in the author's field about the border crisis have convinced her that these individuals are either in complete accord with the idea of large numbers of immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally or they are completely ignorant of the situation and…

All children in the United States have an equal right to enroll and participate in public elementary and secondary schools without regard to their or their parents' or guardians' immigration status. When public schools deny equal access to education because of national origin or immigration status, the Educational Opportunities Section of the…

Over the course of a few cold days last February, immigrant families and their allies in Austin, Texas, were shaken by a series of raids as immigration officers descended upon the city. After all was said and done, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested 51 undocumented immigrants, most of whom had no criminal record. In this…

With the 1982 Supreme Court decision in the case of Plyler v. Doe, K-12 students, regardless of their immigration status, were able to access a free public school education without the threat of deportation. However, such clarity has not been the case for undocumented students pursuing higher education. As increasing numbers of undocumented…

Overlooking Ellis Island, the famous port of entry for millions of U.S. immigrants, is the Statue of Liberty. Miss Liberty's lamp has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States. However, in light of recent executive orders against immigration as well as efforts to detain and deport millions of unauthorized immigrants, one might wonder…

Recent federal immigration policy has focused on individuals who were brought to the U.S. by their guardians. In June 2012, former President Barack Obama signed an executive order to implement Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, widely known as DACA. DACA is organized to allow individuals who came to this country as children with an…

Policies regarding immigration are complex. One of the unfortunate consequences of the near uniformity of opinion in higher education about legal and illegal immigration issues are that they are almost never debated on campuses. This report describes some of the various dimensions of immigration policy and suggests topics for debate, so that…

As the U.S. and other nations grapple with the boundaries of inclusion at a time of increasing political polarization, teachers face quandaries about how to address immigration in classrooms. Although some educators may avoid immigration as a discussion topic, others enthusiastically choose it precisely because of its relevance. Further…

The latest policy pronouncements on immigration reaffirm the need for comprehensive immigration reform in this country. It is time for Congress to decide how to balance securing our borders with the need for a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people already in the U.S. Known as "Dreamers," there is an entire generation…

2020 ushered in the convergence of multiple societal, political, environmental, and health crises. Racial reckoning collided with fearmongering on a national scale and punitive policies targeted non-citizens simultaneous to the global health pandemic COVID-19. COVID-19 required the unexpected pivoting from in-person instruction to what was, for…

Dreams have long been thought to be a space of fantasy and utopic hope. From Paulo Freire to Gloria Anzaldúa to Robin Kelley, many scholars have related the ability to dream with the ability to act collectively, to self-actualize, and to call into being worlds yet to be realized--dreaming as a radical political act. What happens, then, when dreams…

The 2016 presidential campaign and the election of Donald Trump has amplified divisive anti-immigrant sentiment and has further positioned "Mexicans as enemy." Trump's "Build That Wall!" declarative has stoked nativist ire through manufactured narratives that rarely, if ever, consider the United States government's role in the…

Scholars acknowledge that Indigenous Latinx immigrants' complex process of adapting to life in the United States, or incorporation, differs from that of their non-Indigenous counterparts. Understanding these differences is especially important as arrivals of Indigenous refugees and asylum seekers from Central America have increased steadily over…

The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Community Pediatrics Immigrant Health Special Interest Group consists of 300 members and works to advance pediatric practice and advocacy for diverse immigrant children. Members share practice tools and strategies, and they advocate for the health and well-being of all immigrant children in a number of…