Family Legal Vulnerability: How Immigration Policy Shapes the Lives of Latino College Students

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Laura E. Enriquez Cecilia Ayón

Family Legal Vulnerability

How Immigration Policy Shapes the Lives of Latino College Students

Laura E. Enriquez, Cecilia Ayón, Jennifer R. Nájera , Annie Ro

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English

New York University Press
27 January 2026

Social & cultural history; Ethnic studies; Hispanic & Latino studies; Sociology; Educational strategies & policy

How college students in mixed-status families are affected by immigration policies

Focusing on Latinx students attending the University of California, Family Legal Vulnerability exposes how their educational experiences and social mobility are shaped not only by their own immigration status, but also by their family members' undocumented immigration status. The authors introduce the concept of ""family legal vulnerability"" as a novel framework that captures how undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families collectively experience deportability, economic insecurity, discrimination, social exclusion, and legal uncertainty.

The authors show how the adverse effects of family legal vulnerability are similar for both college students who are undocumented and U.S. citizens with undocumented parents. Cascading consequences emerge among immigration-impacted students as family legal vulnerability compromises their mental and emotional health, academic success, and political engagement.

The book also illustrates how students demonstrate agency as they negotiate family legal vulnerability, seeking out ways to bolster their individual and collective flourishing. Ultimately, this book calls on scholars, policy makers, and university administrators to account for family legal vulnerability when considering how immigration policies undermine students' college experiences and to identify actionable practices to advance greater equity and inclusion.

By: Laura E. Enriquez, Cecilia Ayón, Jennifer R. Nájera, Annie Ro, Zulema Valdez
Imprint: New York University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781479837373
ISBN 10: 1479837377
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 27 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Further / Higher Education , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Laura E. Enriquez (Author) Laura E. Enriquez is Associate Professor of Chicano/Latino Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Liberation, Anti-racism, and Belonging (C-LAB) at The University of California, Irvine. She is the author of the award-winning book, Of Love and Papers: How Immigration Policy Affects Romance and Family. Cecilia Ayón (Author) Cecilia Ayón is Professor at the School of Public Policy at The University of California, Riverside. Jennifer R. Nájera (Author) Jennifer R. Nájera is Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at The University of California, Riverside. She is the author of The Borderlands of Race: Mexican Segregation in a South Texas Town. Annie Ro (Author) Annie Ro is Associate Professor at The University of California, Irvine Program in Public Health. Zulema Valdez (Author) Zulema Valdez is Associate Vice Chancellor for Equity, Justice and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE) at The University of California, Merced. She is the author of The New Entrepreneurs: How Race, Class, and Gender Shape American Enterprise.

Reviews for Family Legal Vulnerability: How Immigration Policy Shapes the Lives of Latino College Students

""Family Legal Vulnerability abounds with meticulously researched insights that illuminate the far-reaching impacts of relatives' precarious immigration statuses on college students in immigrant families. A significant contribution to scholarship that will inspire scholars, policymakers, and pundits to reflect and act critically on the intersections of immigration law, family dynamics, and commitments of the heart. It should be read widely!"" (Cecilia Menjívar, co-author of Immigrant Families)