Supreme Court Ruling on DACA
Dear Campus Community,
When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was implemented in 2012, the undocumented community knew that the program was only a temporary fix and not a permanent solution. In addition, the majority of the 11 million undocumented community members living in the United States did not qualify for DACA and its privileges, which included protection from deportation, the ability to legally work in the United States, and the opportunity to travel outside the U.S.
However, DACA did create a culture for people to feel more comfortable and open with their status, bringing them out of the shadows and becoming more visible in American society. It also permitted people to work in an array of professional sectors, giving undocumented students hope for career opportunities once they completed their education. These past few years have been filled with anxiety and uncertainty for many undocumented community members, allies, and mixed-status families due to the attempt to terminate DACA and the anti-immigrant sentiment prevalent in our society.
Today, the Grads to Be (G2B) program at Fullerton College sincerely shares the positive emotions and excitement generated by the Supreme Court’s decision that allows DACA to continue. This means that the current 600,000+ individuals with active DACA cases would not be subject to detainment, deportation, or negative life-altering implications. This also means that the 29,000+ DACA recipients who are health providers have the opportunity to continue saving lives during this global pandemic.
While we celebrate this outcome, our thoughts are also with those students and families that do not qualify for DACA. One of the goals of the Grads to Be program is to “foster a supportive and inclusive campus community, which is essential to the growth of all students, regardless of their status.” Therefore, we will continue to strive to support students that are excluded from DACA and those with mixed status families. We can’t do this alone however, thus, we call on our entire campus community to action. Now more than ever, we would like to formally invite and encourage campus administrators, faculty, staff, allies, and community members to show support and solidarity for undocumented, DACAmented, and non-DACAmented students. This includes educating oneself, attending UndocuAlly trainings and spaces, and practicing allyship in the ways one interacts with and serves students.
We will continue to support students by hosting virtual safe spaces for discussion, sharing up-to-date resources, and being available for individual appointments. We hope you all take this opportunity to become involved, to contribute, and advocate for undocumented students. For more information on how to get involved, contact the Grads to Be Program at Fullerton College via grads2be@fullcoll.edu.
In solidarity,
The Fullerton College Grads to Be Team
&
Greg Schulz, Ed.D.
President
Fullerton College
