President Donald Trump’s decision to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has deeply affected students across the nation.
The University's leadership over the past months has made clear its commitment in offering resources to DACA students. In addition, several student organizations are also working to support DACA students through advocacy.
Read more: ASU partners with foundations to cover students' DACA renewal costs
Undocumented Students for Educational Equity is an ASU student organization that acknowledges undocumented students and fights for fair access to educational resources and education. Edder Diaz Martinez, a journalism senior, is one of the organization’s founders.
Martinez said he has been affected in many ways by the decision to remove DACA.
“Personally if (they) remove DACA I am not able to continue going to school because I cannot afford the tuition," Martinez said. "We would fall into the out-of-state tuition category.”
USEE held a retreat in Payson with ASU students and allies from Sept. 15-17. The organization also hosted weekend workshops and training at the retreat.
USEE has taken steps to provide information about DACA to ASU students, faculty and staff through a series of events.
DREAMzone, an on-campus resource, provides faculty and staff with important information on DACA students, like links to immigration attorneys and information from the Department of Homeland Security about immigration policy. Oscar Hernandez, a public policy senior, has worked for both organizations.
Hernandez said that USEE started because DACA students felt threatened after the election.
Hernandez, a DACA recipient, has been advocating on behalf of DACA students for many years.
“There’s this office called DREAMzone here at ASU ... I’ve actually worked with DREAMzone and they do a good job at informing faculty and staff, that was one of their big objectives to educate faculty and staff on what it meant to be a DACA student,” Hernandez said.
DREAMzone educates faculty and staff on what it means to be an undocumented student and all the the hurdles undocumented students deal with both as a student and person, Hernandez said.
Hernandez said that DREAMzone struggles to provide students with resources because ASU is not providing them with quality resources of their own.
Angelica Rodriguez, a business management senior, is the facilitator of El Concilio, a student organization that brings together Latino, Chicano and Hispanic organizations at ASU.
Rodriguez said that El Concilio is working with USEE to help out DACA students.
"Giving them the platform, ensuring they have all the resources from that administration standpoint and then as well as outside resources,” Rodriguez said.
She said El Concilio is able to provide DACA students with a platform and support system that they need right now.
“The main thing that we discuss with the support system is ensuring that they know that we are here as a coalition to make sure that all DACA students are being taken care of as well as making sure they're feeling supported,” she said.
Reach the reporter at m.gmtz15@gmail.com or follow @gmtz90 on Twitter.
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