UCLA

As a continuation of Mexican American education history and building on the research on undocumented students’ experiences in higher education, this dissertation uses history methods to examine the experiences of Latina/o undocumented students at the University of Texas Austin (UT Austin) between 2001 and 2013. During this time frame, important immigration and education legislation at state and federal levels was introduced or implemented, directly impacting undocumented students nationwide. Using a theoretical framework of critical race theory, Latina/o critical theory with a LatCrit Consciousness, this study centers race and immigration and challenges ahistoricism. Drawing on testimonios, institutional archives, newspapers, focus groups, personal collections, and social media posts, this dissertation’s findings reveal that (a) UT Austin did not foster an actively inclusive environment for Latina/o undocumented students; (b) Latina/o undocumented student activism at UT Austin evolved to a transformative resistance movement; and (c) the institution engaged in institutional neglect of Latina/o undocumented students, leading to significant challenges for this student population in navigating the university. Lastly, this dissertation explores Yosso’s Chicana/o Undergraduate “Stages of Passage” and adds dimensions to capture the experiences of Latina/o undocumented students in higher education.