Missing in Action: Job-Driven Educational Pathways for Unauthorized Youth and Adults

Missing in Action examines the disconnect between the manpower needs of the American economy and the educational and training requirements imposed on undocumented immigrants seeking to regularize their status. The authors review current or proposed legislation or administrative actions, including the DREAM Act, the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and future comprehensive immigration reform.  They observe that these requirements "have not lined up with what the labor market actually demands, and to date, no policy has included the investments or infrastructure needed to support job-driven educational pathways for unauthorized youth and adults."  For example, provisions of the DREAM Act "do not reflect the educational outcomes demanded by the labor market." Applicants for legalization are required to obtain a two-year degree and are not allowed to substitute an industry-recognized, middle-skill credential.  Although the provisions of the DACA program are less onerous than the DREAM Act, i.e. requiring that applicants only be enrolled in a career-focused education or literacy program, the program presents a "Catch-22" for applicants, as Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is only open to people who are already work-authorized, not those applying for work authorization.  The authors urge advocates and policy-makers n the immigrant integration field to fashion "an intentional, pro-active skills strategy" as they consider various reform proposals. (Ariella Katz-Suchov for The ILC Public Education Institute)

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