Undocumented Students

Undocumented youth have a right to education in America.

  • In 1982, the Supreme Court Case Plyler vs Doe guaranteed all youth, regardless of their immigrant status, a right to an equal education.
    • The Court said: “‘the long-range costs of excluding any children from the public schools may well outweigh the costs of educating them…By denying these children a basic education, we deny them the ability to live within the structure of our civic institutions, and foreclose any realistic possibility that they will contribute in even the smallest way to the progress of our Nation’” (American Immigration Council, 2016). 

But despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, there have been many efforts, both subtle, and blatant to undermine this right.

  • 1994, California’s Proposition 187: “prohibited public elementary and secondary schools from admitting any student who was not lawfully present in the United States, and which required schools to notify federal immigration authorities within 45 days of any student reasonably believed to be in violation of federal immigration laws” (American Immigration Council, 2016). 
  • 2006, Elmwood Park, Illinois: “denied enrollment to a student who had overstayed the tourist visa on which he had originally entered the country” (American Immigration Council, 2016). 
  • 2011, Alabama: “enacted a measure requiring school administrators to determine the immigration status of all newly enrolling students, and to submit an annual report to the state Board of Education setting forth all data obtained under the requirement“ (American Immigration Council, 2016). 

While all of these efforts ultimately failed given their violations of the Plyler vs. Doe ruling … the efforts themselves are evidence that US schools drastically under support undocumented students.

As is evidenced by the following statistics:

  • Every year, an estimated 80,000 undocumented youth turn 18, while approximately 65,000 graduate from high school (US Dept. of Edu, 2015). 
  • Just 54%  of undocumented youth have at least a high school diploma, compared to 82% of their U.S.-born peers (US Dept. of Edu, 2015). 
  • Only 5-10% of undocumented high school graduates continue their education and enroll in an institution of higher education (US Dept. of Edu, 2015). 
  • Most attend community colleges, where after 3 years, the graduation rate is approximately 20% (Cahill, 2016, pg. 123).