'Caught in the crossfire': Effects of policy ambiguities and inconsistencies on higher education professionals providing support to undocumented students

Policy ambiguities and inconsistencies at federal, state, and institutional levels regarding undocumented student access to and success in higher education have created a variety of effects for professionals working within institutions who seek to support these students. This study investigated the nature of these effects and the overall experiences of higher education professionals through in-depth interviews and provided interpretation through the frameworks of institutional and critical race theories. Five research questions guided the study: (a) why do higher education professionals work to assist undocumented students with college access and success?; (b) what issues/barriers do higher education professionals face in assisting undocumented students with college access and success?; (c) do issues differ between individuals working in states with permissive in-state tuition policies and individuals working in states with restrictive/absent in-state tuition policies?; (d) what strategies do higher education professionals utilize in order to affect change of institutional policies, practices, commitments, and attitudes about undocumented student access and success?; and (e) what strategies do higher education professionals utilize in order provide direct assistance to undocumented students? Analysis of data demonstrated that professionals engaged in undocumented student support as a result of particular experiences regarding this population and because of a priori commitments. Issues/barriers individuals faced included finances, lack of leadership/institutional support, secrecy, advising burdens, and role struggles. There were no differences between the experiences of professionals in permissive tuition policy states and restrictive/no tuition policy states. With regard to strategies for institutional change, individuals expressed networking, leadership lobbying, education, and direct challenges as main themes; and professionals cited the use of policy loopholes and the building of key relationships as strategies to directly assist undocumented students. Together, the information collected from higher education professionals illustrated an emerging pattern with regard to their experiences in supporting undocumented students. As a result of this study, individuals can take more active and informed approaches in advocating for consistent and comprehensive policies for this population at institutional, state, and federal levels.