The United States and Spain have had radically different immigration histories, and they also have very different education systems and policies, yet there are similarities. Despite official efforts to welcome immigrant youth, both education systems operate, paradoxically, in ways that are unwelcoming, relegating immigrant youth to the margins of school life. The authors draw on their ongoing comparative ethnographic research in high schools in California (U.S.) and Catalonia (Spain). The article highlights some contradictions between the strengths and shortcomings identified in each education system. In light of immigrant students' experiences in both countries, the authors provide suggestions for the improvement of educational practice for the children of immigrants. (Contains 10 notes.)