Children of undocumented immigrants experience severe disadvantages that impact future success and contributions to social and economic change. Schools can promote well-being by providing safe environments for child and parental engagement.

1. RESEARCH BRIEF SERIES
January 2019
Interrupted Lives: Parental Legal Status and Child Well-Being
By Matthew Hall and Frank Edwards, Cornell University
For more information about Cornell Project 2Gen visit www.2gen.bctr.cornell.edu or contact us at project2gen@cornell.edu.
This research was made possible by the generous contributions of Cornell Project 2Gen and an anonymous donor.
Share of Children in Low-Incomea
Families
by Parental Legal Status
75%
51%
40%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Undocumented parents Immigrant parents All parents
Immigration: NY State
 58% of population growth between 2010
and 2017 was due to immigration (U.S. Census
Bureau FactFinder, 2018)
 Approximately 6.6% of K-12 children had an
undocumented parent in 2016, a number
that has risen substantially over time (Passel &
Cohn, 2018)
 There were roughly 750,000 undocumented
migrants in 2016. In some upstate counties,
as many as 35% of immigrants were
undocumented (author estimates; Passel & Cohn,
2018)
 7.1% of children had undocumented parents
in 2013
National Share of Children
Enrolled in Preschool by
Parental Legal Status
Source: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/profile-
us-children-unauthorized-immigrant-parents
Policy Implications
 Children of undocumented immigrants experience severe disadvantages that impact future success and
contributions to social and economic change
 Schools can promote well-being by providing safe environments for child and parental engagement
37%
45% 48%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Undocumented
parents
Immigrant
parents
All parents
aDefined as <185% Federal poverty level
Source: https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/profile-us-children-
unauthorized-immigrant-parents
Legal Statusand ChildDevelopment
 Children with undocumented parents are less likely to
attend preschool than children with immigrant parents.
 Higher percentages of children with undocumented
parents live in low-income families than children with
immigrant parents.
 Documented negative impacts of parental legal status on:
o Child cognitive development (Yoshikawa, 2011)
o Academic orientations and expectations (Abrego, 2006;
Abrego and Gonzales, 2010; Gonzales, 2011; Menjívar, 2006; Yoshikawa
et al. 2017)
o Educational progress
(Abrego 2006; Greenman & Hall 2012; Bean et al. 2016; Gonzales 2011)
 Some evidence of impacts on:
o Socioemotional development, anxiety and depression
(Landale et al. 2015; Potochnick & Perriera 2010; Menjívar & Abrego,
2012)
o Problem behavior (Landale et al. 2015)