Recognizing Undocumented Students at Harvard

Last week, a story published in The Crimson highlighted the oft-overlooked presence of undocumented students on Harvard’s campus. The piece is an important one for all students to read. While it is commendable that Harvard has an admissions policy that does not discriminate against these students because of their immigration status, Harvard can still take a more proactive approach to making sure their unique needs are fully met on campus.

This effort should start with the admission process, where undocumented students are categorized as international applicants. Tufts and Brown recently revised their admission policies to permit undocumented students to apply as domestic applicants, and we believe Harvard should follow suit. Symbolically, it is an indignity that such students have to apply to colleges in their own country of residence as international students. Many undocumented students know only the United States as home, and they deserve to be treated as Americans by institutions of higher learning.

Furthermore, the University should be more explicit about its policy on accepting undocumented students. This goal could be achieved in ways as simple as creating student profiles and featuring them on the admissions website with more extensive information about the experience of being undocumented at Harvard.

Still, it is important to note that the University has a generous financial aid program that is extended to undocumented students, whose immigration status leaves them ineligible for federal financial aid. These efforts are critical to ensuring that undocumented students can afford to matriculate at Harvard.

Once undocumented students arrive on campus, however, they face unique challenges and often lack the resources to tackle them. While there are two mental health counselors at University Health Services who are known among undocumented students for their knowledge of immigration issues, more diversity is needed in the University’s mental health programs.

And though the recent creation of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was an important step, the next head of the office should work to create more extensive administrative support for undocumented students to address their unique needs and experiences.

Politically, it is also important to ensure that these students and their families have the protection of the law. The current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allows Harvard’s undocumented students the safety to remain on campus and live without constant fear of deportation.

Though we support DACA, the DREAM Act, and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program that was recently blocked by the Supreme Court, all three are ultimately insufficient and highlight the need for comprehensive immigration reform. But until a more comprehensive solution is reached, these smaller steps are important.