Career Services in a Post-DACA Era: Reimagining Support for Undocumented Students

In October 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a previous ruling that declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawful, citing the immigration policy as a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As of 2024, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will continue to accept and process renewal requests but will not process new DACA requests. DACA has been important for undocumented youth pursuing higher education, and its uncertain future leaves thousands of undocumented individuals in a precarious position. There are over 408,000 undocumented students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States, and only a third of these students have DACA status. The current legal climate and anti-immigrant rhetoric in the United States pose challenges for institutions that aim to support both undocumented and DACA students. This paper explores the impact of the post- DACA landscape on undocumented students in career services. This paper examines the history of career centers and their services, the challenges undocumented students face in their career planning experience, and the current federal and state legislation that impacts undocumented students' access to higher education and career planning. Through practical recommendations and examples of existing innovative programs, this paper highlights the need for career services to understand the complexities of citizenship status in career decision-making and advising.