Citizen Advantage, Undocumented Disadvantage, or Both? The Comparative Educational Outcomes of Second and 1.5‐Generation Latino Young Adults¹

Abstract

Recent research theorizes a widening sociopolitical gap between undocumented and documented immigrants — but also between citizens and noncitizens generally — with implications for mobility. How might legal inequality influence educational outcomes? Largely due to data constraints, much existing research is unable to distinguish between legal statuses. Yet, legal status may help explain inconsistent findings of “immigrant advantage” among Latinos. Using survey data from Latino young adults in California, I explore how legal status impacts high school completion, post‐secondary enrollment, and labor market expectations. I find evidence of undocumented disadvantage and citizenship advantage in completion and enrollment, but no differences in expectations. Findings suggest that scholars should pay closer attention to the role of legal background in shaping mobility.

Immigrant Legal Status and Health: Legal Status Disparities in Chronic Conditions and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Mexican-Born Farm Workers in the United States

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Refuge 36 (2) Special Issue: Refugee Children, Status, and Educational Attainment: A Comparative Lens

“…Number 2 47undocumented adolescents were less likely to graduate from high school as well as to enrol in college (Greenman & Hall, 2013;Patler, 2018). Neither study fully explains which mechanisms cause the educational disadvantages of undocumented migrants to remain but the findings point toward unfavourable legal conditions leading to these disadvantages.…”

Unregistered Births of Adolescent Mothers in Turkey: Invisible Children

“…The circumstances and the fragile situation of children within such migrant populations are highlighted. Research confi rms the relative disadvantages of noncitizen populations (mainly unregistered children) with regard to poverty (De Trinidad Young et al 2018), school enrollment (Patler 2018), and health care access (Oropesa et al 2016). Children, especially girls, are at the lowest social level in patriarchal family systems.…”