By Jeremy Dent-Smith, Sports Editor
The Gamma Zeta Alpha fraternity hosted an information session at the Immigrant Justice Center on Oct. 9 to raise awareness of the challenges faced by undocumented students. In addition, the session offered insight into resources available to these students to help them along their path to a college degree.
One of the featured speakers during the session was fraternity member Julio Garcia, who came from Mexico to the United States in the early 90s as a child. For years, Garcia avoided seeing his family in Mexico out of fear that he wouldn’t be allowed back into the U.S. All of this changed, however, when Garcia was approved for an Obama-era program known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program – or DACA.
Under DACA, young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children are temporarily shielded from deportation. The program also offered recipients temporary employment authorization.
At the height of the program, there were approximately 800,000 recipients, known as “Dreamers” – about 530,000 people are currently protected under the program. California is home to one of the largest populations of Dreamers, and while a significant percentage of recipients were born in Mexico, life in the U.S. is the only one many have ever known. Recipients must renew their authorization every two years.
Immigration issues – and DACA, specifically – are in the spotlight once again ahead of the election. In 2017, the Trump administration announced plans to end the program, but a series of legal challenges since then have delayed that from happening. All that could change, though, if the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rules against the program.
Without DACA, some Toros would have been unable to pursue a college degree.
“DACA has given me and other students an opportunity to not only attend college but also to receive the support we need to graduate,” said one Toro Dreamer, who spoke to The Bulletin on condition of anonymity to protect their privacy.
“With the election coming soon, I hope that there are only improvements to help students like me.”
