Interrogating racist nativist microaggressions and campus climate: How undocumented and DACA college students experience institutional legal violence in Colorado.


In 2013, the state of Colorado passed the ASSET (Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow) bill, which allowed eligible undocumented/DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students residing in Colorado the ability to qualify for in-state tuition at public institutions. Using qualitative methods, we examine how undocumented/DACA students experience their campus climate at 2 institutions in Colorado. This article highlights the voices of 12 undocumented/DACA students. We utilize the concept of legal violence and campus climate to illuminate 3 forms of racist nativist microaggressions (a) institutional ignorance; (b) the reproduction of pervasive invisibility; and (c) hidden/nonpresent communities of support as ways in which colleges and universities reproduce injurious acts. Recommendations and implications are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)