3 Ways to Support Immigration-Impacted Students

The pandemic has disproportionately affected such young adults, and faculty members should support and advocate for them during this time, write Laura E. Enriquez, Mercedes Valadez and Melissa J. Hagan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing social and economic disparities in the United States. As college faculty, we have seen this play out among our students. Our students have communicated that their stress levels are high as they struggle with grief, isolation, job loss and lack of motivation.

In March 2020, when campus shutdowns began, we and 14 colleagues were in the midst of conducting a survey of more than 3,000 California undergraduates, including those who were undocumented and from mixed-status families. Our goal was to examine the impact of contemporary immigration policies that marginalize undocumented immigrants and individuals with precarious legal statuses. Given the timing of our survey, we also asked participants about the early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their educational experiences.

Our findings (published here and here) reveal that the pandemic has disproportionately affected those young adults and their families. As colleges and universities continue to engage in remote learning and limited campus activities, we identify three ways that faculty members can support and advocate for immigration-impacted students.

Read the full story: Inside Higher Ed.