Note: please note that this issue brief should (a) link back to the issue overview on this topic, (b) be focused either the local, state, national, or global level, and (c) be neutrally presented, based on facts, and include footnotes for each of the items.  See the Research Guide and Information Sources to assist you. 

Link to issue overview on this topic:  Immigration Status and Academic Achievement: Motivation or Discouragement 

Scope of the Problem  

• Poor publicity of Washington H.B. 1079 at Walla Walla High School decreases the awareness of higher education opportunities for local undocumented students^[1]

•  Average GPA of students that reported to have an undocumented parent tend to be lower than those who reported to have a documented parent^[2]
• Average GPA of documented students tend to be higher than undocumented students
• Parents and children of immigrants tend to have low human capital with low educational achievement^[3]
• Fear of deportation of parents or students is a major deterring factor for both documented and undocumented student higher education achievement^[4]
• Walla Walla High School experiences low publication of Washington H.B. 1079^[5]

• Although immigrants perform tasks through which they participate in and contribute to society (e.g. raising children, working and paying taxes), they are excluded from full membership if they lack full (permanent) legal recognition.^[6]

• "An analysis of college attendance finds that among unauthorized immigrants ages 18-24 who have graduated from high school, half (49%) are in college or have attended college. The comparable figure for U.S.-born residents is 71%."^[7] 

• "In 2003, of the 4.3 million children of unauthorized immigrants, 2.7 million or 63% were born in the United States. In 2008, of the 5.5 million children of unauthorized immigrants, 4 million, or 73% were born in the United States."^[8]

• "An estimated 65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from the country's secondary schools, about 37,000 of whom are Latino".^[9]

• Plyer v. Doe guaranteed undocumented students a free K-12 public school education, but Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 forbids undocumented students from receiving federal aid for postsecondary education.^[10]

• Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) states that "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible for in-state tuition on the basis of residence within a State (or political subdivision) for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit... without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident".^[11]

• "Immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean are more likely than the general population to live in poverty, making paying for a higher education nearly impossible without financial assistance".^[12]

 Past Policy 

• This study does not examine previous city policy regarding immigration-related factors in Walla Walla.

Current Policy  summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding

•  H.B. 1079 - Governor Gary Locke signed House Bill 1079 into law May 7, 2003. The signing of this bill allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities beginning July 1, 2003. House Bill 1079 was introduced by Representative Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenney (D-Seattle), to the right of Governor Locke.^[13]

• Latinos living in the states with a in-state tuition policy were 1.54 times more likely to enroll in college after the enactment of the policies compared to students in states without such legislation.^[14]

Key Organizations/Individuals   contacts for public and private organizations and key individual

• www.WALatinos.org

  • My full research and an executive summary can be found here, along with more research addressing inequalities for Latinos in Washington State in issues such education, health care, and civic engagement, among other topics.  This is the only current research being conducted that addresses social inequalities for Latinos in Washington.

• blog.WALatinos.org/

  • This is a blog where Whitman students engage in dialogue about this and similar research.  If you have questions or comments or are curious to see what my classmates and I are doing with our research, check us out!

• Latino/a Educational Achievement Project

  • All students will graduate from high school with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed for success in postsecondary education or in today's information age and technology-driven workplace.

• Alianza Student Coalition

  • Creating a support system that unites Latino/a, Chicano/a, Hispanic, and other students to advance in our education and empower ourselves as leaders as we work together to strengthen our community.

Bibliography   web sites, reports, articles, and other reference material 

• Drachman, Edward. "Access to Higher Education for Undocumented Students." Journal of Social Justice 18 (2003): 91-100.

•  Flores, Stella M., and Jorge Chapa. "Latino Immigrant Access to Higher Education in a Bipolar Context of Reception." Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 8 (2009): 90-109.

• Flores, Stella M. "In-State Tuition and Access to Scholarship for Undocumented College Students". Paper Submitted to the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity, The University of California, Berkeley.

• Gonzalez, Roberto G. Young Lives on Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students. College Board Advocacy: April 2009.

• Menjivar, Cecilai. "Educational Hopes, Documented Dreams: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Immigrants' Legality and Educational Prospects." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 620 (2008): 177-192.

• National Immigration Law Center. DREAM Act Basic Information. (March 2009). http://www.nilc.org/immlawpolicy/DREAM/dream-basicinfo-2009-02-19.pdf .

• Passel, Jeffrey S., and D'vera Cohn. A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, April 2009.

• Washington State House of Representatives, 61st Legislature. House Bill 1706. Introduced January 27, 2009. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/1706.pdf

Footnotes

1. Ruiz, Ariel. "The Future of Children of Immigrants: A Study of Latino Higher Education Aspirations and Abilities." December 18,2009. www.walatinos.org ▲
2. Ibid. ▲
3. Ibid. ▲
4. Ibid. ▲
5. Ibid. ▲
6. 100. Cecilia Menjivar, "Educational Hopes, Documented Dreams: Guatemalan and Salvadoran Immigrants' Legality and Educational Prospects," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 620 (2008): 177-192. ▲
7. iv. Jeffrey S. Passels, and D'vera Cohn. A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States. Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center, April 2009. ▲
8. Ibid., 7 ▲
9. 94.Edward Drachman,"Access to Higher Education for Undocumented for Students," Journal of Social Justice 18 (2003): 91-100. ▲
10. Ibid., 91. ▲
11. Ibid., 95. ▲
12. 94. Stella M. Flores, and Jorge Chapa. "Latino Immigrant Access to Higher Education in a Bipolar Context of Reception," Journal of Hispanic Higher Education 8 (2009): 90-109. ▲
13. Latino/a Educational Achievement Project. "House Bill 1079". 2006. ▲
14. 23. Stella M. Flores, "In-State Tuition and Access to Scholarship for Undocumented College Students" (Paper Submitted to the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity, The University of California, Berkeley) ▲