ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic presented extraordinary challenges to Latinx communities in the United States. This chapter examines how economic and health inequities, in combination with immigration policies, impacted Latinxs’ experience with higher education. Building on Cecilia Menjívar’s conceptualization of “liminal legality”, we contend that state tactics codified Latinxs’ ambiguous status, compromising their access to health benefits and financial relief. Already more likely to work in low-paying jobs, Latinxs, who comprise nearly 20% of the US population, continue to navigate the effects of the crisis. For the first time in a decade, Latinx college enrollment is in decline and threatening to reverse hard-won educational advancements. Although the pandemic created barriers for many Latinx students, for some it opened a pathway to their success. We describe how making adjustments to mentoring methods yielded creative collaborations and discuss how applying an ethics of care approach shaped our pedagogy and praxis. We conclude by highlighting the need for more state and federal funding to support Latinxs’ higher education efforts.
