In recent months, thousands of immigrant families have been relocated to communities across the country by the governors of Arizona, Florida, and Texas. These families lack safe and secure housing and can experience homelessness for months. At the very least, schools can be places of stability for youth in helping them mitigate the trauma and disruption caused by homelessness. Immigration status does not affect McKinney-Vento eligibility, as youth who are undocumented have the right to fully participate in school. Schools cannot contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement about a child’s immigration status. SchoolHouse Connection has provided several resources for helping students who are immigrants, including “Strategies for Supporting Immigrant and Migrant Students Experiencing Homelessness,” “Immigrant Students Experiencing Homelessness: Liaisons’ Strategies,” and “Immigrant Students: How Schools Can Help.”
By Yonathan Gonzalez Villatoro, Policy Intern, Pizzigati Fellow
