Dear Friend,
I listened Tuesday morning with extreme disappointment and horror as Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Deferred Access for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). As you know, College Visions seeks to support young people with the highest need to apply to college and then stay in college to earn degrees. As such, we have always accepted young people into our programs without regard to citizenship status, and we will continue to do so.
I hope you will join me in supporting our Dreamers. As it stands, we know that no new applications for DACA will be accepted and without congressional action some young people could lose DACA protections beginning in March 2018. Much remains uncertain, and with that uncertainty comes stress and fear for young people and their families.
At College Visions we are sharing the following key information with our DACA students:
“What do I need to know if the DACA program ends?” from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Know Your Rights information provided by the American Civil Liberties Union
For Rhode Islanders, the Coalition of Advocates for Student Opportunities provides information for undocumented and DACA college students
Dream Act action alert: http://cqrcengage.com/nacac/app/write-a-letter?4&engagementId=379893 created by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling
Dorcas International is running a free legal clinic to help eligible DACA holders submit renewals from September 8-29th, and with the help of donors and funders will provide money to cover the $495 processing fee. Please help us spread the word that DACA recipients in Rhode Island can renew for free! Click here for more information.
Some people with DACA status are eligible for renewal, but they must act quickly to renew by October 5th. Other Dreamers need legal consultations to see what, if any, paths to citizenship are open to them. I hope you will share this important information with any young people, educators, and youth workers you know.
Here at College Visions, our students are back to school and our work goes on. We are checking in with our students who have DACA status with love and care to remind them that we are here with a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. We are here to empower, motivate, and plan for the future. We thank you for standing with us and with College Visions students.
Respectfully,
Nick Figueroa
(401) 490-3996
nick.figueroa@collegevisions.org
P.S. If you are in Rhode Island, I hope you’ll join me this Friday, September 8th at 5:30pm for a march from Burnside Park in Providence to the Rhode Island Statehouse followed by a rally at the Statehouse to show our support for Dreamers. This event is being organized by CASO. You can find more information about Friday’s event here.
