With the recent inauguration of Donald Trump, much speculation has arisen regarding the future of the undocumented population and the acts that protect them.
Actions currently exist on both the state and federal levels to protect and support the undocumented, including the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and the federal executive order, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA, put in place by the Obama administration, grants work permits and social security numbers to undocumented immigrants who arrived as minors. DACA also grants deferred action for deportation and may be renewed every two years. The DREAM Act was proposed in the U.S. Senate and failed to pass, but California drafted a version of it into two state legislative laws, AB 130 and AB 131. Governor Jerry Brown signed the DREAM Act into state law in Oct. 2011. It provides state financial aid while also allowing undocumented students to pay the in-state tuition for colleges and universities in California instead of an out-of-state tuition. According to the Graduate School of Health and Development, the act may save these students around $9,000 or more in tuition fees on average. The act only provides financial aid and does not grant a legal pathway to citizenship.
To qualify for the DREAM Act, an undocumented student must have arrived in the U.S before the age of 16, and must not have any criminal record. Currently, 10 states, including California, have passed some form of the DREAM Act.
Anna* is currently an undocumented Aragon senior and has applied for the DREAM Act, hoping that it will help her achieve a brighter future. She came to the United States and crossed the border at the age of 6 with her mother, fleeing from gun violence in Mexico. “In the past couple of years, there has been a lot of violence, especially in the area where my dad was born,” tells Anna, “so I think that makes it a lot harder to even live, just because they’re so scared that they’re going to get shot and that they’re going to die, and that’s why a lot of people are fleeing from there.” Because of this, Anna believes that education is crucial. “One of the reasons why we’re called DREAMers is because we all have dreams, and we dream about going to college, and having a better future than our parents did … So I want to go to college and to prove to my parents, or show them that all their effort didn’t go to waste, and that I’m actually going to do something with my life and that I’m going to give them a better future as well, and to be able to provide for my family when I have one.”
In addition, Anna believes that by going to college, she is countering the negative stereotypes associated with the Latino community.
“I think [I’m challenging stereotypes],” says Anna, “especially with our new president, where he says that we’re all rapists and stuff like that, and I think that there are people who believe that. So by us going to school, receiving education, and going to college, I think that we prove all those people wrong, that we’re not all like that, [but] obviously you know, there are people who are committing crimes and stuff like that.”
The future of the undocumented population still remains unclear, but the California Student Aid Commission has confirmed that the DREAM Act of California will, for the most part, not be affected by Trump’s policies because it was passed as a state law.
The California Student Aid Commission sent out a letter to the school districts in December, which stated, “[State financial aid for DREAMers remains legal in California] regardless of what happens at the federal level. A DREAMer student does not need to be DACA-certified to be eligible for a public education or state financial aid. Losing DACA status will not affect most state financial aid.”
In addition, the letter emphasizes that the information given for the DREAM Act application would be kept secret from the federal level.
It states, “The information provided via the California DREAM Act Application is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid and isn’t shared with the federal government or used for immigration enforcement purposes. CSAC will protect this information to the fullest extent of the law.”
Financial Aid and Scholarship Advisor Caroline Moala believes that the letter successfully clarifies confusion. “I do have family who are undocumented,” says Maola, “and they [ask], ‘Oh, with Trump, how is that going to affect our aid and continuing onto college,’ and so after we’ve seen this letter from the state, [I’ve been able] to explain to them to don’t worry about it, the DACA is different from the DREAM Act, you can still go out and apply — just focus on your future, and continue onto higher education.”
Many are unsure of what Trump is actually going to do as president. Martinez has concerns. He says, “I know students that are [under] DACA, and I know that they are happy because by getting DACA they can work, they can get social security, they can contribute to society, but if DACA is cancelled, that will be a problem for not only these students, but in general … It’s gonna be hard, honestly, if theycancel DACA. It will probably affect the DREAMers … these students [may] feel discouraged.”
If DACA is repealed, that means that those under the act will no longer have a valid work permit or a Social Security number, and that their status will be regarded as “unlawful presence” once their current two-year DACA status expires. Furthermore, if DACA is repealed, that will also affect the DREAM Act as well since those undocumented students will no longer be eligible to find work.
Senior Matthew Blum however, believes that there’s no reason to fear Trump.“Trump’s Chief of Staff has stated that DACA won’t be going anywhere and that the President seeks a long term solution to the problem,” says Blum. “So, as long as illegals who have been here since they were very young are law-abiding and taxpaying, they should not fear Trump in the slightest.”
On Jan. 22, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus stated, “I think we’re going to work with the House and Senate leadership, as well as to get a long-term solution on that issue … I’m not going to make any commitments to you, but … I’m obviously foreshadowing there a little bit.” In addition, on Jan. 23, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer also suggested that removing DACA isn’t a top priority of the Trump administration.
“I think the president has been clear that he is going to prioritize the areas of dealing with the immigration system, both building the wall and making sure that we address people who are in this country illegally,” said Spicer, “First and foremost, the president’s been very, very clear that we need to direct agencies to focus on those who are in this country illegally and have a record, a criminal record or pose a threat to the American people. That’s where the priority is going to be.”
Anna remains optimistic, “I mean I’m not scared,” she concludes, “but I have faith and I have hope that [Trump] won’t do all the things that he says he’s [going to do]. ”
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
