As a result of President Trump’s announcement repealing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, about 40 NC State students’ DACA statuses are affected, according to NC State Student Legal Services.
In light of this, NC State has begun offering help to DACA recipients through Student Legal Services, and Mi Familia, a Latinx community student group, organized a DACA awareness rally held on Friday in Stafford Commons.
DACA, which was established under President Obama in 2012, allowed for certain people who illegally immigrated as minors to receive a renewable deferred action for deportation. DACA also made recipients eligible for work permits.
As of 2017 over 800,000 people have been receiving assistance from DACA, thousands of whom are students attending colleges and universities nationwide.
“DACA is an executive action,” said Hoang Lam, an immigration attorney at NC State’s Student Legal Services offices. “It was done by President Obama and that’s why it can be undone by the current president. [It] was rescinded and the administration will not accept any new DACA applications. Those who have DACA status now but whose status will expire in the next six months — they can apply for renewal within one month, but they have to do so [within one month].
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Lam later clarified that not all DACA recipients’ statuses will expire in the next six months. Depending on when recipients were last approved,
Lam explained that one of the biggest consequences students on DACA status face is a higher risk of being deported. In addition, they will be unable to travel outside of the country or drive after their status expires.
“All DACA students should talk with an immigration attorney,” Lam said. “Not many universities have a Student Legal Services office. We are funded by student fees; that’s why we don’t charge students money when they come to see us.”
As previously reported by Technician, Chancellor Randy Woodson released a statement Sept. 5 expressing support for students who are DACA recipients. An NC State Student Senate bill, Resolution 60: “Undocumented and DACA Students Support Act,” has also been filed to express support of these students.
“The purpose of Resolution 60 was to give a recommendation from the entire student body to the chancellor to make NC State a ‘safe’ campus for undocumented and DACA students,” said Didier Turcios, president of the Mi Familia organization on campus and one of the signatories of the bill.
A resolution passed by Student Senate last year called for more support for undocumented and DACA students from the university, which included refraining from releasing certain information about recipients, providing recipients more resources and refusing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Resolution 60 helped remind undocumented and DACA students that NC State fully supports them,” Turcios said regarding the DACA program ending.
In response to Tuesday’s announcement, the “Defend DACA” rally, held on Friday, included many guest speakers including professors, organizations including Mi Familia, Native American Student Association (NASA) and individual students.
“I didn’t find out that I was undocumented until I was 17 years old,” said Ritzy Chirinos, a full-time Meredith College and part-time NC State student.
Chirinos spoke about the personal impact the end of the DACA program would have on her. She traced back the effects of her migratory status to when she started applying to college.
Like many DACA student recipients, Chirinos was unable to apply for free student aid through FAFSA, but she said that she was fortunate enough that Meredith College gave her “all the resources necessary.”
In North Carolina, DACA recipients, including longtime residents of North Carolina, do not receive in-state tuition as university students.
In 2012, 49,712 North Carolina residents were beneficiaries of DACA, according to a report from the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center.
“One way that students can help DACA students is to lobby congressmen for legislation that would provide a more secure and stable status,” Lam said. “Talking with the press to show how DACA students have been helpful for the University and the local communities, those are some of the things that other students can [do to] help.”
Student Legal Services is currently screening cases for students affected by the repeal of DACA and helping them find other benefits they are eligible for. The office is located in 1107 Pullen Hall.
* Editor’s note: this quote was corrected.
High school students David Warren and Risa Bolash, both juniors at Sanderson High School, participate during the DACA Rally at Stafford Commons on Friday. Many participants outside of NC State came to show their concerns regarding the planned ending of DACA.
