Sam Dunaway | News Editor
The Trump administration ordered a termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, on Sept. 5. According to npr.org, this program protects nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants that entered the United States as children. This policy, put into place by former President Barack Obama in 2012, protects those individuals from deportation and grants work permits to those who qualify.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, there are several ways an individual can qualify for the benefits of the DACA program. The recipient must be under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 and have entered the U.S. before the age of 16. They must also have lived in continuously in the United States since 2007. To benefit from the DACA program, the recipient must currently attending school, have completed school, or be an honorably discharged veteran. Additionally, an individual must not be a convicted felon or pose a threat to public safety or national security. The work permits and deportation deferrals that this program grants must be renewed every two years.
The decision made by the Trump administration requires Congress to pass a replacement for DACA before the program’s recipients start to lose their protection on March 5, 2018. One avenue for DACA recipients to gain citizenship may be through the DREAM Act, introduced by Sens. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The DREAM Act – Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act – would grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of qualifying individuals that entered the United States before the age of 18.
House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out about the need for Congress to find a solution to the issue. Ryan stated in an interview with Wisconsin talk radio WCLO, “These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home. And so I really do believe there needs to be a legislative solution, that’s one that we’re working on, and I think we want to give people peace of mind.”
After the announcement by the Trump administration, Western’s President Rex Fuller sent a statement to all students regarding the impact on student DACA recipients. President Fuller reaffirmed the safe, caring and inclusive nature of our community, stating that, “It is (his) sincere hope that Congress will act quickly to correct this decision so that our currently enrolled DACA students can fulfill their dreams and WOU will continue to be a place where future DACA students succeed.”
DACA recipients range from young children to adults in their 20s and 30s. At Western, they are classmates, college graduates, coworkers and friends. In 2016, Western students Juan Navarro and Cristina Garcia Toche started the Unidos Club, a student run organization that acts as a support system for DACA recipients and individuals who identify as undocumented.
“Several students don’t feel comfortable talking about their status especially during times like today. It takes a lot of courage to say that you’re undocumented,” said Cristina Garcia Toche, the current president of the club. “Ever since we started Unidos, several students no longer feel like they are living in the shadows — we have created a family. We have stayed united during difficult times. We still have so much to learn and grow from each other.”
Toche stated that she wants to inform Western’s community of the organization and how it can support these individuals.
Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu
