By Kali Ortiz
On Monday, February 26, 2018, the Supreme Courts declined to hear Donald Trumps initial request to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA. More than 800,000 people are DACA recipients, and over a million non-DACA young adults face deportation. According to USA Today, “A federal judge in California ruled in January that the Trump administration used flawed legal reasoning when it decided to end the Obama-era program, and ordered it to continue processing DACA renewals. The Department of Justice made a rare, direct request to the Supreme Court to hear the awe, but the court ruled last week that it must go through the regular appeals process.” The original deadline for the DACA program, March 5, 2018, was pushed back until Congress can reach an agreement on what to do with the all the Dreamers. This decision stopped immediate deportation for many young Dreamers.
There are more than 175,000 people affected by DACA in Washington Sate, and many whom attend Skagit Valley College. Earlier this school year, Dr. Thomas Keegan, the President of Skagit Vally College released a statement on DACA. He said, “We will not waiver in our commitment to equity, nor will we waiver from fostering a culture of mutual respect and acceptance that embraces diversity and promotes a civil society. We reach out to all with open hearts and minds; in of mutual respect and acceptance that embraces diversity and promotes a civil society. We reach out to all with open hearts and minds; in doing so, we must and will provide a respectful, safe, and supportive environment for all. Protecting the safety, security, and well-being of DACA and Dreamer students is central to who we are.”
A DACA recipient attending Skagit Valley College said, “DACA has given me the opportunity to continue my education, and make a better life for myself and my family without the fear of being deported.”
With no official date to an end to the DACA program, many students are left in fear. Skagit will continue to support and fight along Dreamers because they are our friends, our community, and our future.
