Dear UCSB students,
The Associated Students of UCSB condemns the Trump administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
On June 15, 2012, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines may request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal. They are also eligible for work authorization. Deferred action is a use of executive discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. Deferred action does not provide lawful status[1].
The University of California has been responsive to both state and federal policy changes at the request of students for many years[2]. Students have advocated for increased protection and rights of undocumented students for decades.
The AS Executive Officers stand in solidarity with undocumented students and their families as they continue to fight to survive against a government that has now undermined the humanity of over 11 million individuals, including 800,000 DACA recipients. We believe that immigration policy represents a barrier between undocumented students and academic success.
We stand in solidarity with undocumented students facing difficult times and honor their resilience and strength through constant adversity. Undocumented students at UCSB are outstanding leaders and scholars who have contributed significantly to our campus and the UC as a whole. It is imperative that we remain committed to supporting and protecting them and their families. We will not allow the actions of the current administration to divide our community.
We are in agreement with UC President Janet Napolitano[3] and Chancellor Yang, who have issued statements of concern. President Napolitano asserted “that UC will continue to welcome and support students without regard to immigration status, will not share student information without legal warrant and will not take part in joint efforts with any government agency to carry out federal immigration policy.” Upholding these commitments on all UC campuses is essential in ensuring the safety of our undocumented students.
We call on Congress to take action so DACA recipients are able to work, attend classes, and succeed in this country without fear or uncertainty. Furthermore, we call on Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform so both DACA students and their loved ones may live without fear of deportation or detainment.
Contact the Undocumented Student Services Program[4] and Dream Scholars Resource Team[5] for additional support and resources on the UCSB campus. The UC Immigrant Legal Center[6] also provides immigration related legal services for undocumented students and their families. Reach out to any of us, individually or collectively, for any support we may offer through our offices.
In Solidarity,
Hieu Le | President, Associated Students UCSB
Jasmine Sandhu | Internal Vice President, Associated Students UCSB
Batsheva Stoll | External Vice President for Local Affairs, Associated Students UCSB
Kristin Hsu | External Vice President for Statewide Affairs, Associated Students UCSB
Jack Tannenbaum | Student Advocate General, Associated Students UCSB
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The Associated Students (AS) of the University of California, Santa Barbara is a non-profit organization and department of the UCSB campus, funded by undergraduate student fees. We represent 18,000 students at the local, state and federal level. Visit our website at: https://www.as.ucsb.edu/
[1] https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca
[2] http://undoc.universityofcalifornia.edu/legislation-basics.html
[3] https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/uc-president-napolitano-statement-decision-end-daca-program