AHEAD Statement on Termination of DACA
September 12, 2017
Since well before the current administration took office, the fates of nearly 800,000 young people who are enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program have been hanging in the balance. Many of these DACA recipients, who have grown up here in the U.S. alongside their US-citizen peers, have lived with uncertainty most of their lives.
The decision announced by the White House on September 5th to end the DACA program heightens anxieties and leaves even more uncertainty surrounding their futures.
In a study conducted by the Center for American Progress this year, of the 3,000 DACA recipients who responded, 72% were pursuing higher education. As an organization that values access to education, diversity and inclusion, we stand with these Dreamers and honor their commitment to improve their lives through the pursuit of higher education and employment, as well as their desire to remain in the country and the communities where they have grown up.
Many AHEAD members are wondering what they can do to support DACA recipients on their campuses. Here we offer just a few suggestions.
1) Encourage your administrators to send communication to the campus community stating their commitment to create a safe place for Dreamers.
2) Demonstrate your own commitment to Dreamers. Some college faculty and staff have chosen to create a symbol with the phrase "Dreamers Welcome" or "United We Dream" and place it on their office doors. One example of a Dreamers Welcome poster is available here for downloading. Others have written blog posts that express their support.
3) Identify personnel on campus who can provide DACA recipients as well as other undocumented students with accurate and up-to-date information as U.S. policy shifts. Undocumented at Harvard provides a good model for gathering helpful resources for students. Such a site might also include sample letters or talking points for contacting legislators. Sample talking points and other resources are also available on the National Immigration Law Center website.
4) Recognize that uncertainties about deportation may result in these students being anxious about and possibly avoiding outside appointments to obtain disability-related documentation. Follow AHEAD guidance by placing priority on the student's experience of disability and barriers to access.
5) Recognize the potential impact of living with such extreme uncertainty and work to create a trauma-informed environment in your office-a practice that will benefit all students.
6) Advocate for the creation of an organization to serve as a support group and community for these students as well as to organize advocacy events.
7) Identify community organizations to provide services such as food, clothing, housing, and employment to alleviate some of the stresses that overburden Dreamers.
8) Learn more about DACA, Dreamers and the policies that impact undocumented students.
9) Contact your congress members. You can use the contactingcongress.org site to find their contact information.
Contact AHEAD at ahead@ahead.org for more information.
The decision announced by the White House on September 5th to end the DACA program heightens anxieties and leaves even more uncertainty surrounding their futures.
In a study conducted by the Center for American Progress this year, of the 3,000 DACA recipients who responded, 72% were pursuing higher education. As an organization that values access to education, diversity and inclusion, we stand with these Dreamers and honor their commitment to improve their lives through the pursuit of higher education and employment, as well as their desire to remain in the country and the communities where they have grown up.
Many AHEAD members are wondering what they can do to support DACA recipients on their campuses. Here we offer just a few suggestions.
1) Encourage your administrators to send communication to the campus community stating their commitment to create a safe place for Dreamers.
2) Demonstrate your own commitment to Dreamers. Some college faculty and staff have chosen to create a symbol with the phrase "Dreamers Welcome" or "United We Dream" and place it on their office doors. One example of a Dreamers Welcome poster is available here for downloading. Others have written blog posts that express their support.
3) Identify personnel on campus who can provide DACA recipients as well as other undocumented students with accurate and up-to-date information as U.S. policy shifts. Undocumented at Harvard provides a good model for gathering helpful resources for students. Such a site might also include sample letters or talking points for contacting legislators. Sample talking points and other resources are also available on the National Immigration Law Center website.
4) Recognize that uncertainties about deportation may result in these students being anxious about and possibly avoiding outside appointments to obtain disability-related documentation. Follow AHEAD guidance by placing priority on the student's experience of disability and barriers to access.
5) Recognize the potential impact of living with such extreme uncertainty and work to create a trauma-informed environment in your office-a practice that will benefit all students.
6) Advocate for the creation of an organization to serve as a support group and community for these students as well as to organize advocacy events.
7) Identify community organizations to provide services such as food, clothing, housing, and employment to alleviate some of the stresses that overburden Dreamers.
8) Learn more about DACA, Dreamers and the policies that impact undocumented students.
9) Contact your congress members. You can use the contactingcongress.org site to find their contact information.
Contact AHEAD at ahead@ahead.org for more information.
