Yoshikawa's Research Makes Real-Life Impact

Professor Hiro Yoshikawa’s research on undocumented immigrant parents and the importance of education played an important role in the recent New York City Council decision to allocate $13 million for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants who dropped out or never enrolled in school.

The decision will expand adult education seats in the state to an additional 16,000 of those eligible for DACA — undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children. This new policy will allow DACA applicants, who must enroll in adult education programs for eligibility, to fulfill their education requirements.

Yoshikawa’s research — particularly the Migration Policy Institute paper to be released this month and his 2011 book, Immigrant Raising Citizens — identified young immigrant adults who dropped out of school or never enrolled and may be raising families of their own as a high-needs group among the immigrant population.

“Yoshikawa’s research has been central to the work we do,” said Melanie Reyes, director of family engagement and partnerships for the New York Immigration Coalition. “First, it brings everything together comprehensively, particularly the work on undocumented parents.”

According to Reyes, who worked closely with New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn on drafting this policy, many of the immigrants identified in this group are unlike those of the DREAM Act group, who are typically college-bound, in college, or degree holders. This policy supports an often unrecognized group of immigrants facing barriers in education, finances, and workforce systems. This new policy will allow this group to focus on a range of adult education from GED, ESL, vocational/career training, and workplace development.

When looking for research to support the policy, Reyes turned to that of Yoshikawa. “There is a really large population that hasn’t graduated from high school or [has] dropped out or came to this country and went straight to work,” she explained. “The opportunity for DACA is crucial for this group. Hiro’s work points to many factors that highlight the needs to put resources toward this neglected populations.”

Yoshikawa noted that the council’s decision could make a difference for many undocumented parents who have not been applying for DACA at the rates the college-ready have.

“I’m glad the New York City Council is setting aside funds for what are in some ways the most disadvantaged among those eligible for deferred action under the federal law,” Yoshikawa said. “When we think of the DREAM Act, we tend to just think of children and don’t often think about how a lot of these people are parents. This recognizes that there are parents and families involved.”