AB540 Safe Zones: An Initiative to Create Safe Spaces for Undocumented Students in Southern California Colleges

The current political discourse around immigration has catapulted the issue of educational access for undocumented students. There are 11.2 million people without lawful immigration status in the United States with 2.5 million in California alone.  The Obama administration has recently addressed the issue by introducing a new policy aimed at this population that if implemented, will affect the millions of undocumented students in the country. Given the weight of student’s success on the support they receive from their college and social network, it is important to understand how these students engage in their campus community. Undocumented students live in constant fear of their status being disclosed and where despite their educational success, their dreams and professional objectives often seem futureless.

This project seeks to create safe spaces or “safe zones” where AB540 students can find resources and support within their college and community in order to aid them in their academic goals. I will analyze student’s experiences to explore the community college’s role in supporting the AB540 student population, specifically their part in bridging the transition from community college to a four-year university. I will do a mixed method research analyzing data from students attending Southern California colleges. The findings derived from triangulated qualitative and quantitative approaches will inform the study on how unauthorized youth consistently negotiate their lived spaces both on and off campus.  Immigration advocates, those against immigration, and educational institutions will benefit from this research by continuing the dialogue on this pertinent issue.