An estimated 98,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year, but those graduates remain “at risk of deportation and will face severely limited opportunities to pursue further work and education,” finds a new report from the Migration Policy Institute.
The new estimate from the Migration Policy Institute represents a 50 percent increase over the estimate of 65,000 graduates produced by the Urban Institute in the early 2000s. The analysis estimates that about 27,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from California high schools every year, representing 27 percent of the national total, followed by 17,000 in Texas, 5,000 in Florida, and 4,000 each in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.
While high school commencement marks an important milestone for the students, graduates from the class of 2018 and beyond aren’t eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, commonly known as DACA. Without the work permits and deportation protections that DACA offers, the undocumented graduates face few prospects, even after earning their diplomas, the report argues.
