Chapter 8: “Do I Look Illegal?”: Undocumented Latino Students and the Challenges of Life in the Shadows

There are currently 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, 15% of whom are children. Approximately 56% of the undocumented population comes from Mexico, and 22% come from other Latin American countries. About 68% live in just eight states with California (24%) and Texas (14%) ranking among the top two with the largest number of undocumented residents (Passell, 2005). In Texas, the undocumented population makes up 40% of the total foreign-born population (Passell, 2005). It is estimated that, during the 2004-2005 school year, there were 135,000 undocumented students enrolled in Texas’ public schools, accounting for 3% of the total public school enrollment (Strayhorn, 2006). Every year, approximately 65,000 undocumented children graduate from high school (Immigration Policy Center, 2007) and only 5% of undocumented high school seniors attend college (Protopsaltis, 2005).