September

DACA resource panel

President Janine Davidson and University leaders provided reassurance and information for affected community.

By Cory Phare

September 14, 2017

Representatives from the Counseling Center, Dean of Students Office, Faculty Senate, Immigrant Services, AHEC police and student group RISE joined President Janine Davidson for a DACA resources panel in the Student Success Building this past Monday.

Chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies and co-facilitator Ramon del Castillo welcomed attendees before inviting Davidson to make opening remarks.

“We called this meeting to reaffirm MSU Denver is still 100 percent in support of our DACA community, and that’s not going to change,” Davidson said. “We will do whatever we can to support the people who need it right now.”

In the short-term, Davidson said the University would help legally and financially as it is able, while in the medium- and long-terms, focus is on legislative advocacy for a holistic bipartisan solution. She said that these efforts have been widely embraced across the city and reflected in the recent support letter from MSU Denver’s Board of Trustees.

General counsel then noted some of the pressing issues. For DACA students whose status ends no later than March 5, 2018, they will need to apply for a two-year renewal by Oct. 5, 2017. Additionally, the understanding is that agencies would treat campus as a sensitive area similar to churches and schools, but not extending to areas outside of it.

AHEC police also reinforced counsel’s sentiment that the University was not in the business of being immigration officers, and that the federal agency responsible has not pursued enforcement on campus.

Resources discussed include immigration attorneys coming to campus to meet for free with community members one-on-one starting Sept. 13; a DACA renewal workshop in the Tivoli; an upcoming Undocupeers training for faculty, staff and students; and a DREAMer resource guide. For more information, contact Immigrant Services.

“We’re going to continue doing what we can to provide emotional, legal and logistical support,” Davidson said. “It just makes sense – it’s the right thing to do.”

The full video of the panel can be found here.