Latino Life: Local Education Institutions Offer Support to DACA Students
Aired Sunday, October 22, 2017
Students and young adults who have spent most of their lives in the United States are worried how long they can stay. About 690,000 young adults are currently protected under the DACA program and officials are processing more than 34,000 additional first-time applications. However many are living in fear about their futures after President Trump decided to phase out DACA. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Applicants had to have arrived in the United States before age 16 and have lived there since June 15, 2007. They could not have been older than 30 when the Department of Homeland Security enacted the policy in 2012 under the Obama administration.
Daca recipients have been able to come out of the shadows and obtain valid driver's licenses, enroll in college and legally secure jobs. Fresno Unified is the first school district in the country to offer a resource center for students affected by President Trump's decision to end DACA. In a show of support for its students Fresno Unified unveiled its new dream resource center for undocumented immigrants in September. The center is located at Manchester Center and will be supported through federal funding.
Administrators say families can feel comfortable asking for free legal advice and can take citizenship courses. Fresno City College hosted the grand opening of its new dream center last month. For the last few years, the college has had a dream center but it was in a small office.
The new center is designed to help undocumented students and provides information, resources and academic counseling.
Students can also meet with counselors in private. UC Merced has the Calvin E. Bright Success Center. Alejandro Delgadillo is the associate director of the Calvin E. Bright Success Center. He recently sat down for an interview with Latino Life host Graciela Moreno. He discusses the services for students and the differences between DACA students and dreamers. undoc.ucmerced.edu (209) 228-4625
