“The War Still Continues,” Part II: The Importance of Positive Validation for Undocumented Students One Year After Trump’s Presidential Victory

Abstract

During the 2016 campaign, President Trump promised to establish numerous antiimmigration policies, which heightened undocumented students' fears and anxieties. The present longitudinal qualitative study investigated seven undocumented students' socioemotional states and whether administrators and educators provided sustained positive validation in light of Trump's policies a year later. Findings revealed that students faced similar or heightened, negative emotional states and, although some positive validation occurred, new support services are needed. Resumen Durante la campaña del 2016, el presidente Trump prometió establecer numerosas políticas anti-migratorias; lo cual subrayó el miedo y la ansiedad en estudiantes indocumentados. El presente estudio longitudinal cualitativo investigó los estados emocionales de siete estudiantes indocumentados; tanto como si administradores y educadores proporcionaron validación sostenida positiva dada la luz de las políticas de Trump un año más tarde. Hallazgos revelaron que estudiantes encararon estados emocionales negativos similares o aumentados y que aunque algo de validación positiva ocurrió, se necesitan nuevos servicios de apoyo.

Depicting the Ecosystems of Support and Financial Sustainability for Five College Promise Populations

“…Fear of deportation, lack of educational and occupational options after graduation, stigma, and the resulting isolation and loneliness have led to substance abuse, suicidality, self‐harm, and depression for this population (Gonzales et al, 2013). Fears and stress intensified when policies promised during Trump's campaign, such as the termination of DACA and the Temporary Protected Status, began to be implemented (Andrade, 2019; Muñoz, 2018). The rising costs in housing and limited access to employment pile onto the barriers undocumented students must navigate as they try to provide for themselves and their families.…”

Benevolent intentions, dangerous ideologies: A critical discourse analysis of presidents' letters after the threat of the repeal of deferred action for childhood arrivals.

“…Approximately 2.1 million potential DACA beneficiaries were affected by this decision (Dineen, 2017). Students reported anger, shock, fear, and anxiety responses to the announcement of the elimination of the DACA (Andrade, 2019; Wray-Lake et al, 2018). This is a problem because psychological distress may cause chronic stress (Adames, 2016), which negatively affects students’ comfort and academics (Andrade, 2017).…”

“We Still Keep Going”: The Multiplicitous Socioemotional States & Stressors of Undocumented Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…1) and approximately 202,500 DACA recipients joined health and other sectors to help the fight against the pandemic and to ensure safety for communities across the U.S. (Svajlenka, 2020a). In addition, multiple studies found that undocumented students faced heightened stress, anxiety, and depression when President Trump won the presidential election of 2016 due to his anti-immigration rhetoric, promises to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, policies that intensified deportations and detention, and continued construction of a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico (Andrade, 2019(Andrade, , 2021Wray-Lake et al, 2018).…”