Trump's Plan to End DACA Could Have a Big Impact

In early September, the Trump administration announced their plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a decision that shocked many throughout the United States.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, was brought into existence during the Obama administration as a way to grant temporary amnesty for immigrants in the United States that were brought in as children.

Children who were brought across the border were given the chance to receive an education and eventual employment in the United States.

“DACA provided an opportunity to access some rights that a citizen would have” Constanza Cabello, Director of Intercultural Affairs, said.

“People under DACA are referred to as dreamers,” Cabello said. As of 2017, there are close to 800,000 documented dreamers in the United States with countless more undocumented, all of whom are now at risk of losing their DACA status and getting deported.

Dreamers are just like normal American citizens; they just don’t have the proper documentation. “We definitely have people on campus who are affected by this decision, faculty and students.” Cabello said. “Whether they are directly affected by the removal of DACA or they have a family member or friend who is affected, we all know someone.”

The office of intercultural affairs has many resources for students who may be affected by the removal of DACA. “We want to educate anyone who needs help,” Cabello said.

The only difficulty is the fact that there can’t be any postings saying, 'All dreamers come to this event.'

“We don’t want to expose anybody at a time like this” Cabello said. There are many resources and people to talk to around campus that can help Dreamers decide what to do next.

In a message to the whole school, Stonehill’s President Father John Denning said, “We are committed to ensuring that students in our community and in other communities who have qualified for DACA may continue to pursue their education and obtain a degree.”

It is unclear what will happen to all of the dreamers around the country. The deadline to submit an application for a two-year extension to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is October 5^th, 2017.