Top Takeaways Jair Solis graduated from UC Merced after years of navigating family detention, fears of deportation and immigration raids. Research shows immigration enforcement can harm students’ mental health, attendance and academic performance — challenges Solis said he experienced firsthand. The family’s educational pursuits continue as his mother plans her return to school. When immigration agents pounded on his family’s apartment door in 2019, 15-year-old Jair Solis stood between them and his father, refusing to let agents inside without the proper warrant. Seven years later, Solis became the first in his family to earn a college degree, graduating from UC Merced two months after his mom became a permanent U.S. resident. The milestone is one that had long felt out of reach for Solis and his family. His mother gave up her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher because she was undocumented. Though he fended off immigration agents after asking for a warrant, they would later detain his dad on his way to work. During college, he took a gap year to work and save money so he could continue attending school. The stole Jair Solis wore during his UC Merced graduation. Source: Solis family “Knowing that I’m the only one to get an education and have that opportunity — have the platform to grow as an academic, as a professional, it’s really a blessing for me,” said Solis, 22. “I don’t take it for granted, but it’s just — I never thought I would be in this position.” Solis…
