President Donald Trump has revoked the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Program with a six-month delay. DACA protected undocumented youth who came into the United States as children (aka “Dreamers”) from deportation. They were also given a work permit. This protection expires after two years, subject to renewal.

For some California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), students, this verdict poses a challenge for their future aspirations.

Raiza Dominguez (senior, Psychology) is set to graduate from Stan State, in May 2018 with a degree in Psychology. She hopes to pursue a career as a social worker who works alongside foster youth or minorities.

Dominguez is one of the undocumented students at Stan State who now faces the repercussions of the termination of DACA.

She now fears for her immigration status, not being eligible for financial aid and potential jobs.

“I knew this was coming ever since he [President Trump] got elected and we’ve been preparing ourselves. I’ve had breakdowns since that [election] night and I haven’t been able to focus in class,” Dominguez said.

“I kept checking [the news] to see if DACA will be mentioned. I started taking medication for depression and anxiety and even went to the Health Center on campus.”

Last year, Stan State held a Dreamers Summit to provide helpful information and resources.

“Yeah that was so empowering with the lawyers there because I didn’t know about all of my rights and they were handing out red cards and I got some for my family. It was empowering knowing my rights,” Dominguez said.

Crystal Cruz (sophomore, Psychology) stated that DACA recipients at Stan State might not be able to finish out there education based on the ruling.

“It just makes them lose an opportunity to be something else like to be a doctor, or be a nurse, a mechanic or engineer,” Cruz said.

Cruz went on to say that Trump’s decision was more than just a dislike for immigrants, and that he was taking away the education of “millions of people.”

In the past, Trump has said that his push on immigration would focus on the deportation of criminals, and in a White House press conference ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated, “The focus is going to be on people who have done harm to our country.”

Removing DACA would not be eliminating criminals because according to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website in order to be eligible for DACA one would “Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor,or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.”

Cruz’s cousin, Leidy, a Dreamer, has been preparing herself for college applications by keeping up her grades in hopes of being accepted into a University of California (UC) school in the coming year.

“My family has been working on ways to pay off the DACA documents,” Cruz said. “It’s just going to be more financially difficult for everyone.” One key requirement to apply for DACA is a $495 fee.

Cruz is a first-generation college student, and her cousin was planning on becoming the first in her family to attend college as well.

Stan State takes pride that many first-generation college students chose Stan State as their learning ground. Stan Magazine released a Winter/Spring 2017 issue that focused on first-generation students and faculty.

“In the freshman class that entered Stan State last fall, nearly 79.7 percent self-identified as being the first in their families to attempt to earn an undergraduate degree,” Stan Magazine stated.

This issue was brought up last semester during an academic senate meeting, which allowed Solange Goncalves Altman, Attorney Coordinator of Immigration Services from El Concilio, to explain the outcomes of such a change to immigration policy.

Austin Jiang (junior, Business/Marketing), who was unaware of the policy change, felt that a president should not have “the power to prevent people from opportunities like this [higher education].”

Jiang felt that most students will challenge the policy once the information has spread, and more individuals are aware of the changes.

“It’s not the president of the school that runs the school, it’s the students of the school that run the school,” Jiang added. “We ultimately make the decisions, and we’re the heartbeat of the campus, we’re the mind of the campus. We decide what we should focus our energy on next.”

After the termination of DACA was made, various higher education leaders all over California, including California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy White, signed and sent a letter to  Congress, urging them to protect “our nation’s Dreamers.”

The letter reads, “America is their home and today’s action will not only derail futures, but it will deprive California and the nation of the promise and potential DACA participants possess. We know that our communities are safer and our economy is stronger when all students have access to a world-class education.”

After writing their concerns over DACA recipients, all of the higher education leaders ended the letter telling Congress that if need be, they “stand ready to assist Congress in any way we can.”

After CSU Chancellor White signed the letter to Congress, President Ellen Junn sent out an email regarding her statement on the termination of DACA. In her email, she reassured students that there are resources on and off campus to help them out legally, as well as emotionally and psychologically.

“Like the rest of our student population, our DACA students are academically strong, highly motivated and aspire to achieve their [bachelor’s] degrees and positively contribute to their families and communities,” Junn wrote in her email. “We want to continue to provide the necessary resources, and a safe and welcoming learning environment to ensure their success.”

Dominguez sends hope to those going through similar situations as her.

“Stay strong, we’re in this together. Take it day by day and just focus on getting that degree because that’s the one piece of paper they can’t take away from us.”
If you are looking for help, contact the DREAMERS Committee at [email protected] or visit their website for more information. Also, if you are emotionally distressed and need help, visit the Student Health Center or Psychological Counseling Services.