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. 

Related issue overview: Latino Higher Education and Immigration - Related Factors

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] 

 Past Policy 

• Because, as deemed by Congress, immigration is a federal issue, city and state governments lack authority to restrict or enforce immigration laws. Although Walla Walla has not adopted Section 287g of IIRAIRA, the following is the only exception to current law:

• Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), performance of immigration officer functions by state officers and employees, to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). "This authorizes the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, permitting designated officers to perform immigration law enforcement functions, pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), provided that the local law enforcement officers receive appropriate training and function under the supervision of sworn U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers."^[5]
• There has been no previous policy at the city level regarding immigration-related factors in Walla Walla.

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

• As of May 2010, the city and county of Walla Walla are not associated with enforcing or restricting immigration law. No other immigration policy is currently possible at the city level. 

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

• See State Key Organizations

   

• 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 

• Ruiz, Ariel. "The Future of Children of Immigrants: A Study of Latino Higher Education Aspirations and Abilities." December 18, 2009. www.waltinos.org 

• 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. http://www.ice.gov/partners/287g/Section287_g.htm ▲