Daisy Abrego on “Undocumented Young Adults in Los Angeles”

    In the chapter “College Go-ers and Early Exiters”, Gonzales address the issues of the U.S. immigration system that left many undocumented teens and young adults in Los Angeles at a disadvantage when they try to pursue a higher education.  

The authors start out with the layout of L.A Metropolitan area that makes up more than half of the undocumented immigrants that live in California-- with Mexican descents making up the largest ethnic group. The author, Gonzales, discusses how undocumented teens were facing difficulties due to their immigration status. As they got older, they took on more responsibilities that eventually cause many to drop out of school because of their legal status hinders any opportunities that might come their way. Also, those who were lucky enough to get into college had no guidance from school personnel and lacked help from their families because parents are often forced to work long hours so that they are able to provide for their families.

In addition, undocumented individuals have a lesser chance of finding employment. However, many workers that do manage to secure a job are only able to get jobs that require the most labor for less pay than the even minimum wage. Often many employers take advantage of their situations them knowing that they are undocumented and that they are scared to speak up for their rights. Not only are they required to work hard for long hours, but they are also mistreated and work in dangerous workplaces.

While reading this article, I fully agree with all the points that the author made because many undocumented immigrants that reside in the U.S. do indeed struggle in their everyday lives. Since U.S. President Donald Trump decision to remove Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), this has affected undocumented families and students like taking away DACA. Without the protection of DACA, many youths are not allowed to work legally in this country and have a harder time being at school because they don’t have access to federal financial aid. At the moment, Dreamers are constantly are fighting for their rights that the president is taking away which will make it harder for them to continue their education.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-trumps-daca-decision-affects-colleges-and-students-2017-09-07

Do you believe that these US immigration systems will get worse over time? If yes, why do you think so?