Educate Yourself and Your DACA Students about Potential Changes under the New Administration
Campaign promises made by President-Elect Trump to deport illegal immigrants have led some to fear that DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) students may be denied re-entry if they attempt to return to the U.S. on or after the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017. Because DACA was established as an executive order, it can be overturned just as quickly with another executive order. Recent reports that certain institutions are urging DACA students currently studying abroad to return to the U.S. before the inauguration may have you wondering what your institution and its DACA students should do.
Each institution and individual must ultimately make their own decision as to their plan of action based on their own priorities and assessment of risk. The following resources can help:
- Inform yourself about DACA: “DACAmented Students Abroad” (a presentation and handout given at The Forum’s 12th Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA – April 2016); “Resource Page On Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals: for International Student Advisers and Education Abroad Advisers” (NAFSA)
- Help your DACA students (and all non-U.S. citizen students) who are currently abroad, or with plans to go abroad, to know their rights when re-entering the United States: “What to do when encountering law enforcement at airports and other ports of entry into the U.S.” (ACLU), “Immigration after the Election” (Penn State Law)
- Point DACA students to resources that may help them find pathways to longer-term status (which might in turn permit less risky participation in study abroad): “Beyond Deferred Action: Long-Term Remedies that Every Undocumented Young Person Should Know About”
