This resource page aims to help academics, especially those in higher-education institutions, interested in supporting advocacy efforts that help children in mixed-status immigrant families in the U.S. For more information or suggestions on other topics to include email Suma Setty and Dr. Chloe East at ssetty[at]clasp[dot]org and chloeeast[at]gmail[dot]com.
- Get involved in advocacy efforts and stay informed
- Support impacted students in higher education
- Use your voice: Op-Eds, Public Comments, Letters to the Editor, Testimonials
- Engage with your federal representatives and senators
- Talking points and messaging resources
1. Get involved in advocacy efforts and stay informed
Join coalitions and advocacy groups
- Join CTAN’s research working group! The Children Thrive Action Network brings together advocates and service providers at the national, state, and local levels to advocate on behalf of and support children in the United States in mixed-status immigrant families. CTAN’s research working group provides space for researchers to get engaged in advocacy. During meetings, researchers will get federal and state policy updates on immigration, learn about CTAN’s priorities, and share research relevant to CTAN’s advocacy. This is also a space for researchers to connect with each other on conducting relevant research and guide CTAN’s research. Sign up for CTAN’s newsletters and working groups here.
- Consider joining the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition! PIF formed in 2017 to combat the Trump-era public charge policy and focuses on ensuring all families, especially immigrant families, have access to public benefits like healthcare, nutrition support, and tax credits. The PIF research working group convenes researchers working on issues connected to PIF’s agenda and identifies research needs. They also make data accessible to advocates, policymakers, and the public. Sign up to join PIF here.
Both PIF and CTAN send out regular newsletters with policy updates and developments, ways to take action, research articles, and practical resources like factsheets and guidance for providers, educators, etc.
- Scholars Strategy Network: A national membership organization of college/university-based researchers. They help connect researchers with journalists, policymakers, and civic leaders and vice versa to improve policy and strengthen democracy. They offer media and communications trainings (op-ed writing, media interviews, and relationship building), policy workshops, and custom, hands-on support for scholars interested in deepening their public engagement skills. They also have state and local chapters.
- Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
- Child Policy Hub: Offers policy trainings and programs for researchers to improve evidence-based policymaking. Free for SRCD members, nominal fees per training/webinar for non-members
- Policy explainers and trackers
- Overview of Week 1 Trump 2.0 (National Immigration Project)
- Laken Riley Act Community Explainer (National Immigration Project)
- Litigation Tracker, includes active litigation taking place on executive actions, including: descriptions of the case, links to the complaint, and summaries of dispositions (Just Security).
- Immigration Policy Tracking Project (IPTP)
- Explainer on Rescission of Protected Areas Policy (NILC) January 2025
2. Support impacted students in higher education
- Beyond DACA: A Directory of Resources for Undocumented Students & Individuals (Higher Ed Immigration Portal): A consolidated place for the most recent resources to support undocumented students and individuals access and afford college, start their professional careers, and receive legal support and mental health support, among other types of resources:
- Resource Guide: Supporting Undocumented Youth: From 2015, Department of Education. A resource to assist and enhance state and local efforts to support undocumented youth at the secondary and postsecondary school levels. Accessed November 2024.
- Eligibility for Federal Student Aid for Non-U.S. Citizens from studentaid.gov. Accessed November 2024.
Advocate for your school to develop safe space campus policies
- Model Campus Safe Zones Resolution, developed for individual colleges/universities or college/university systems that are contemplating adopting protections for their immigrant students.
- 2016 model college/university campus resolution
- Guidance for Higher Education on Immigrant Student Privacy and FERPA (Presidents’ Alliance)
- Undocumented Student Data in Higher Education (Presidents’ Alliance & Institutional Solutions)
- FAQs for Campuses on Immigration Enforcement and Site Visits (Presidents’ Alliance)
- Immigration-Related Campus Concerns: Enforcement, Sanctuary Campuses, and Sensitive Locations (American Council on Education)
- Rights & Protections Hub: Guidance for Institutions and Immigrant Students (Presidents’ Alliance)
- For an overview of sanctuary policies, Immigrants Rising’s Understanding the Sanctuary School and Safe Zone Movement: Quick Guide for Educators and the American Immigrant Council’s Overview of Sanctuary Policies are good places to start.
- This Sanctuary Campus Toolkit from Dartmouth aims to equip student organizers and faculty/administrator allies with the tools to engage with campus leaders and communities to develop strong policies for protecting those who study, work, and live on a college or university campus.
- For an example of a protective system in higher education institutions to support students, refer to The University of California’s system-wide infrastructure for undocumented students, including dedicated staff to implement programs, outreach, and localized legal support.
- Institutional Solutions has been closely tracking this issue at the college/university level and can highlight newer/updated resolutions for your consideration. Contact [email protected]
3. Use your voice: Op-Eds, Public Comments, Letters to the Editor, Testimonials
Key takeaways from messaging and narrative strategies research (in progress)
Write Op-eds
- List of top online and print publications in U.S. (The Op-Ed Project)
- Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks (The Op-Ed Project)
- How-To: Best Practices for Writing a Compelling Op-Ed (Scholars Strategy Network)
Write Letters to the Editor
- How-To: Best Practices for Writing a Letter to the Editor (Scholars Strategy Network)
Write Public Comments
Give Testimonials
- How-to: Best Practices for Giving Legislative Testimony (Scholars Strategy Network)
- Advice for researchers on giving media interviews
- How to: write the Story of your research (Kudos)
- Tips from communicating your scientific research to non-experts (Scientifica)
Post social media content
- Making the most of social media: practical tips for academics (Times Higher Education)
Social media: tips for scientists, researchers and academics (Kudos)
Stories of people directly impacted by immigration enforcement
- Spectrum News: Deported: One immigrant’s story amid efforts to reform deportation policy, June 2024
- CLASP issue brief (stories in appendix): Broken Hope: Deportation’s Harms and the Road Home, Dec 2023
- CLASP report: Our Children’s Fear: Immigration Policy’s Effects on Young Children, May 2018
- CLASP report: The Day That ICE Came: How Worksite Raids Are Once Again Harming Children and Families, July 2020
- Immigrant Defense Project: Family profiles
- National Immigrant Justice Center’s Chance to Come Home Campaign: Scroll down the campaign homepage to see profiles/stories
4. Engage with your federal representatives and senators
Scholars Strategy Network has several resources to help you build relationships with policymakers.
- How-To: Building Relationships with Legislators
- How-To: Best Practices for Meeting with Policymakers and Staff
- How-To: Answering Pressing Policy Questions
5. Talking points and messaging resources
See this page for a deportation toolkit for families and talking points on mass deportations, protected areas/sensitive locations, birthright citizenship and more.
Key takeaways from messaging and narrative strategies research (in progress)