The University of California today sent a letter to the UC community (also below) containing guidance for students and other community members who are in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA.
The letter, signed by UC President Janet Napolitano and all 10 UC chancellors, strongly urges DACA recipients whose permits are set to expire between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, to apply for a two-year renewal. Applications for renewal must be completed by Oct. 5, 2017.
The letter reads, in part, “With fewer than 30 days before this deadline, we encourage everyone whose DACA permit expires in the next six months to act quickly. And please share this renewal application deadline with others who could benefit.”
Even if DACA is phased out permanently next year, UC maintains that applying for a renewal is the best opportunity for members of the UC community to obtain two more years of protection against deportation and legal authorization to work.
The letter also encourages every member of the UC community who currently has DACA to discuss their circumstances with immigration counsel and notes that the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center is available to assist undocumented students. There will also be workshops scheduled on every campus to assist UC students with renewal applications.
UC has approximately 4,000 undocumented students, a substantial number of whom have DACA, as well as teachers, researchers and health care providers who are DACA recipients. UC is working on many fronts to ensure that protections continue for those in our community who, in good faith, joined the DACA program.
Last Friday, the University of California filed suit in federal court against the Trump administration for wrongly and unconstitutionally violating the rights of the University and its students by rescinding the DACA program. The lawsuit asks the court to set aside the Trump administration’s rescission of DACA because it is “unconstitutional, unjust, and unlawful.”
Text of the letter sent to the entire UC community and signed by UC President Napolitano and the 10 UC chancellors:
We write today to share urgent news for those in our community who are in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
On September 5, the Trump administration announced it would end the DACA program, effective March 5, 2018. We strongly disagree with this decision. It threatens the future of many of our nation’s brightest minds, including thousands who currently attend or have graduated from the University of California. We are working hard to protect those who could be affected.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services already has stopped accepting new DACA applications. However, if you already have DACA, and your permit is set to expire between September 5, 2017, and March 5, 2018, you may apply for a two-year renewal.
You must apply for renewal no later than October 5, 2017.
Even if DACA is phased out permanently on March 5, 2018, applying for a renewal no later than October 5, 2017 is the best opportunity to obtain two more years of protection against deportation and legal authorization to work.
We encourage every member of the UC community who currently has DACA to discuss your circumstances with immigration counsel. You may reach the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center here: ucimm@law.ucdavis.edu, or, if you are at UC Berkeley, use this link: https://undocu.berkeley.edu/legal-support-overview/legal-support-appointments/. Together, these offices will be scheduling workshops to assist UC students with renewal applications on every UC campus. Check with these offices or your campus Undocumented Students Coordinator for further information.
With fewer than 30 days before this deadline, we encourage everyone whose DACA permit expires in the next six months to act quickly. And please share this renewal application deadline with others who could benefit.
You may find more information on the renewal process here.
The University of California is working on many fronts to ensure that protections continue for those in our community who, in good faith, joined the DACA program. It is our unequivocal belief that students should be admitted to UC and other institutions of higher education based on their records of achievement and without regard to their immigration status. UC will continue to offer services to our undocumented students, including:
- Continuing to allow California residents who are Dreamers to pay in-state tuition;
- Maintaining eligibility for institutional and State financial aid awards, including loans through the DREAM loan program (although students whose DACA status expires will not be able to continue to use their work-study authorization);
- Offering legal services to our undocumented students;
- Supporting campus-based student service centers;
- Directing campus police not to contact, detain, question, or arrest individuals based on suspected undocumented status, or to enter agreements to undertake joint efforts to make arrests for federal immigration law violations.
We will continue to keep you updated with relevant news as the situation evolves. One of the best ways to stay informed and access additional resources is through our campus undocumented student service offices: http://undoc.universityofcalifornia.edu/campus-support.html