Aspiring Americans: Undocumented Youth Leaders in California

This research brief highlights the experiences of undocumented youth in California—many of whom disproportionally experience economic and personal hardships.

There are roughly five million undocumented children and young adults currently living in the U.S. today, 24 percent of whom live in California. They face a challenging paradox: they work hard, excel academically, participate in their communities and have high aspirations in the only country they’ve ever known, but their immigration status severely limits their opportunities to contribute fully to U.S. society.  

The brief, Aspiring Americans: Undocumented Youth Leaders in California, is based on web survey data that compares the experiences of 410 undocumented youth leaders to those of a random sample of 2,200 18-to-26-year-olds in California. 

The brief reports that:  

1. 84 percent of undocumented youth leaders came to the U.S. before the age of 12.  
2. Undocumented youth leaders were almost twice as likely as their native-born counterparts to have volunteered within the past year.  
3. Undocumented youth leaders were almost three times as likely as their native-born counterparts to have worked on an issue affecting their communities.  
4. Undocumented youth were more likely to report difficulty paying for school and utilities and more than twice as likely to come from a low-income background. 

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