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The Impact of a Broken Immigration System on U.S. Students and Schools

• Patricia Gándara,
• Lucrecia Santibañez

This issue brief examines the harmful impact of immigration enforcement actions on Latino children of undocumented immigrants.

Authors

Summary

While the public’s attention remains directed to the border—the epicenter of the debate about immigration policy—the children of undocumented immigrants who have already crossed the border exist in permanent limbo, fearful every day that their parents will be snatched away from them, and wondering if they have any future in this country. Many of these students identify as Latinx. Instead of focusing on their education, these students struggle with this uncertainty and as a result are often absent from school or inattentive. Their teachers also struggle to motivate them and sometimes to protect them. The broken immigration system hurts schools and creates victims across the spectrum of race and ethnicity in the United States, but it is especially acute for these students.

This policy brief summarizes key findings from “Schools Under Siege: The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Educational Equity” by Dr. Patricia Gándara and Dr. Jongyeon Ee. Their book brings to attention the degree to which millions of U.S.-born students and their school communities are impacted by aggressive immigration enforcement.

Key Findings

Impact on Academic Performance:

• 61% of survey respondents observed an impact on academic performance due to heightened fears about their families’ safety and immigration status.
• Escalated arrests of immigrants have been correlated to a 9% average decline in English Language Arts scores for Latinx English Language Learners.

Student Attendance, Grade Retention and Dropout Rates:

• Fear of immigration raids in students’ neighborhoods leads to high rates of absenteeism (observed by 58% of survey respondents); children feared their parents would be deported or detained while they attended school.
• Immigration enforcement increased the probability of repeating a grade by 14% for 6-13 year old children of “unlikely unauthorized immigrants”, and the likelihood of dropping out by 18% for 14-17 year olds.

Bullying and School Safety:

• Nearly half of survey respondents observed an increase in incidents of bullying of immigrant students.
• The fear of deportation impacted students’ sense of safety while at school. 85% of survey respondents reported students expressing concerns and fears they could be deported by ICE agents while on school grounds, with 44% perceiving the impacts as “extensive.”

Impact on School Climate and Engagement:

• The effects of immigration enforcement rippled throughout the entire school community. 67% observed indirect effects on other students, sharing that both peers and teachers showed concern for students directly impacted by enforcement actions.
• 51% reported that parents expressed concerns about arrest and deportation, and sought advice from school staff; about half of respondents reported a decrease in parental involvement immediately after immigration activities.
• Students impacted by enforcement were less likely to engage in extracurricular activities that bring students together around shared interests and create a positive and inviting school climate.

Impact on Educators:

• Teachers reported experiencing heightened anxiety due to anti-immigrant sentiments and policies. They shared feeling responsible for creating a safe environment for all students, resulting in secondhand trauma.
• Latinx teachers, in particular, were more likely to take on additional responsibilities, such as translating and advocating for their students.

Policy Recommendations

• Urge Congress to pass comprehensive Immigration Reform that provides pathways to citizenship and permanent legal status, ensuring the stability and well-being of immigrant families and children.
• Offer “Know Your Rights” guidance to immigrant families.
• Invest in community schools that offer wraparound services.
• Recruit community liaisons to establish trusting relationships with undocumented parents.
• Partner with community-based organizations (CBOs) that specialize in culturally and linguistically appropriate social services.
• Hire more counselors and school support staff from immigrant backgrounds, who speak the home language of the students and their families, to support teachers.
• Improve diversity in the teaching profession by retaining and recruiting more Latinx teachers.
• Provide professional development in trauma-informed and culturally responsive teaching methods that support immigrant students’ well-being.