Deepening Our Understanding of Basic Needs Through the Lens of Undocumented College Students

While scholars have examined college students’ basic needs insecurities, little remains known about the experiences of Latinx undocumented students. Drawing on 93 interviews with Latinx undocumented undergraduates across the country, we find that these students encounter significant structural barriers that prevent them from regularly and adequately meeting their food and housing needs. Under certain circumstances, other issues such as transportation and legal services can also rise to the level of a basic need. Moreover, students often consider their needs in relation to their families’. Students’ accounts reveal that basic needs are interconnected, relational, and dynamic.