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William Pérez and Richard Douglas Cortés. Undocumented Latino College Students: Their Socioemotional and Academic Experiences. El Paso, TX: LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2011. 186 pp. Cloth: $65.00. ISBN: 978-1-5933-2393-6.
Reviewed by Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, Associate Professor, Claremont Graduate University, and Nancy Guarneros, Doctoral Candidate, School of Education Studies, Claremont Graduate University
In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (in Plyler v. Doe) that undocumented children could attend public schools regardless of their immigration status (Olivas, 2012). The population of undocumented youth in the United States is substantial- approximately 2.1 million (Batalova & McHugh, 2010). This group is growing up with protected legal access to public education from kindergarten to high school. However, for these undocumented students, the transition to college and to the job market involves leaving the legally protected status of K-12 students and taking on adult roles that require legal status as the basis for participation (Gonzales, 2011). This switching among contexts makes for a tempestuous transition and has important implications for identity formation, friendship patterns, aspirations and expectations, and social and economic mobility (Gonzales, 2011). In spite of the barriers they experience, many undocumented students are now going to college.
In particular, community colleges because they are conveniently located, cost much less than four-year colleges, feature open admissions, and accommodate students who work or have family responsibilities, are suited to meet the educational needs of immigrants and undocumented students who want to obtain an affordable postsecondary education, learn English-language skills, and prepare for the labor market (Teranishi, Suárez- Orozco, & Suárez-Orozco, 2011). Unfortunately, very little is known about the college experiences of undocumented students in community colleges. With some limitations, Pérez and Cortés's (2011) book represents a timely contribution to the topic of immigration and higher education and presents a much-needed perspective on the socioemotional experiences of Latino undocumented students in community colleges.
The book is well organized into six chapters. Chapter 1...