Lessons from DACA’s Implementation and its Impact on Education and Training

Announced in 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has paved the way for hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants who came to the United States as children to obtain relief from deportation and work authorization. As a result of DACA and ongoing efforts to provide relief to DREAMer youth, immigration is arguably more intertwined with the education and training fields than at any other time in recent U.S. history. Given the DACA program’s unique position at the convergence of the immigration and education fields, MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy has sought to capture the ways in which local educational institutions, legal service providers, and youth advocates have responded to DACA’s first phase. Conducting interviews with stakeholders in seven states with large immigrant populations—California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Texas—MPI has identified initiatives by educational institutions and other community stakeholders to support DACA youth’s education and training success.

The report, Lessons from the Local Level: DACA’s Implementation and Impact on Education and Training Success, examines the outreach and legal services infrastructure created to serve DACA program applicants, as well as the impact of deferred action on educational institutions and systems seeking to support the academic and career pursuits of DACA youth. On the webinar, the report authors discuss key challenges facing legal service providers and educators serving DACA youth, along with lessons for new and ongoing efforts seeking to support the implementation of the DACA and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents programs.