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The purpose of this study is to give voice to five Arizona DREAMers. The assumption is that DREAMers have developed unique strategies as a means to navigate the education highway and ethos of Arizona laws that are seldom positive. These five stories represent a very small sampling of the many

The purpose of this study is to give voice to five Arizona DREAMers. The assumption is that DREAMers have developed unique strategies as a means to navigate the education highway and ethos of Arizona laws that are seldom positive. These five stories represent a very small sampling of the many DREAMers that dot the landscape of Arizona. Their stories are important to add to the collection of literature that already exists on this topic because Arizona DREAMers confront far more challenges due to the anti-immigrant laws that have prevailed despite federal law changes. DREAMers are neither monolithic nor a homogenous group; each individual carries a unique story that merits hearing and may shed light on the reasons why most have opted to stay in a state that has so passionately rejected them despite progress in other states. It may also illuminate the benefits Arizona stands to give by accepting DREAMers as contributing members of society and may even enlighten the state public on the benefits of passing a major comprehensive immigration reform. The scope of this project is designed to highlight the personal challenges these five DREAMers face in Arizona, a state that has consistently used discriminatory treatment and purposefully created roadblocks through the creation of draconian laws. Former Governor Brewer has repeatedly labeled DREAMers as an economic drain on the state's educational system and has stated the Dream Act is nothing but "backdoor amnesty" and political pandering by the Democratic president. Despite all the negative rhetoric, this Arizonan cohort has not given up on their dreams. Their determinations and strengths are the focus of this project. Narratives will enable the DREAMers' stories to be told through their own voice through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with each of the students, transcribing the interviews with subsequent coding and analysis. The results will be organized into major and minor sub themes to give strength to the stories. Findings of this study will contribute and enhance existing literature with the hopes that it might influence policy change at the local level.
ContributorsPalacios, Angela (Author) / Jimenez-Silva, Margarita (Thesis advisor) / Ramírez, Pablo (Committee member) / Reis, Michelle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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The oppressive legislative policies and polarizing media narratives of undocu/DACAmented Latinx im/migrants in the United States have created unfavorable campus climates, which have further marginalized those students in higher education who fit into this category. As a result of Donald Trump’s presidency and rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood

The oppressive legislative policies and polarizing media narratives of undocu/DACAmented Latinx im/migrants in the United States have created unfavorable campus climates, which have further marginalized those students in higher education who fit into this category. As a result of Donald Trump’s presidency and rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that soon followed, undocu/DACAmented Latinx students are experiencing an increase in stress, anxiety, and fear to the point that they become silent, depressed, and feel the need to advocate more for their existence and worth on campus. My critical ethnographic case study investigates the everyday experiences of Mexican undocu/DACAmented students enrolled at a public university in Arizona – a state that borders Mexico – as they pursue their undergraduate degrees in the Trump era. This study is guided by critical race theory and LatCrit, sense of belonging, and resistance capital theoretical frameworks, and seeks to answer the following: (a) how race and racism shape their collegiate experiences, (b) where these collegians find belongingness to persist towards graduation while navigating an anti-im/migrant sociopolitical climate, and (c) how these students exercise agency via their activism efforts. The broader case study includes individual collaborative interviews, twelve months of participatory field observations, and a collection of documents. This study aims to expand the field of higher education’s understanding of how federal, state, and institutional policies and policymakers affect undocu/DACAmented students’ experiences in and persistence through college, highlight the agency exercised and assets these collegians bring with them to college, and offer research, policy, and practical recommendations for higher education and student affairs institutional agents.

ContributorsSanta-Ramirez, Stephen (Author) / McGuire, Keon (Thesis advisor) / Cisneros, Jesus (Committee member) / Jimenez-Silva, Margarita (Committee member) / O'Connor, Brendan (Committee member) / Muñoz, Susana (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020