State and Local Variations in Immigrant Policy Implementation

• In Event: Federalism and Local Politics in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to improve our understanding of immigrant incorporation beyond the dichotomy of “restrictive” and “accommodating” states, focusing on the local level. For the purpose of assessing incorporation, we use state laws that provide access to higher education for undocumented youth through eligibility for in-state tuition or financial aid. More than the adoption or rejection of such a policy, we are focusing on their implementation by school counselors, the “street-level” bureaucrats who are directly interacting with the target population. Previous research conducted in New York and New Jersey has shown that in states where undocumented youth are eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid, that information is not always available to undocumented students or counselors (Lauby 2017). Recent research in New Jersey showed that knowledge of these policies varies greatly between schools based on their location, student demographics, and counselors’ own interests (Lauby and Ross 2022). Using data from surveys with counselors in New York and Pennsylvania, we assess three main aspects of counselors’ work with undocumented youths: 1) How much do they know about their state’s policy regarding eligibility for in-state tuition and financial aid? 2) How much and what kind of training have they received on this issue? 3) To what extent does location affect counselors’ level of knowledge or interest in these policies? For the latter, we present analyses using independent variables such as school demographics and school location, including district-level partisanship.

Authors

• Fanny Lauby, Montclair State University

• Julissa Cuautle