To our UC Santa Cruz community,
We are deeply dismayed by the announcement that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has been rescinded. This decision takes basic rights, including the right to work, away from hundreds of thousands of young undocumented adults throughout the U.S. and hundreds of students who are part of our community here at UC Santa Cruz. It is hard to see this decision as anything but a moral failure.
Financial hardship, already a concern for many of our DACA students, will be exacerbated. One consequence of this decision, among others, is that they will no longer be eligible for work-study programs to support their education. Undocumented students are already ineligible for Pell grant aid.
UC Santa Cruz will stand up for and support our undocumented students and their families. We are committed to providing resources, support, guidance, and legal counsel to help navigate the uncertainty that our undocumented students now face.
UC Santa Cruz’s Dreamers are a community of motivated, intelligent, caring, and dedicated people. Their contributions to our campus—serving as interns, working in our departments, colleges, and resource centers—and their commitment to educational excellence is exemplary. They deserve our unwavering support.
Please join us. There are many ways you can get involved and show support.
Tax-deductible donations are being accepted through the Don Rothman Dreamers Fund, which is administered by UC Santa Cruz’s Educational Opportunity Programs Office and tax-deductible donations can also be made to Slug Support’s Student Emergency Fund, which is administered by the Dean of Students Office and provides emergency support for housing, financial assistance, and hosts a food pantry.
See below for more resources available to our undocumented students and learn about other ways to support them.
Resources
- UCSC Undocumented Student Services (https://eop.ucsc.edu/
undocumented_student_services/ index.html). The contact is Valeria Chavez-Ayala (vchaveza@ucsc.edu, 831-459-2296), Undocumented Student Services Coordinator, who is highly knowledgeable and leads our efforts at EOP. - For more urgent inquiries, if you need assistance with a student in immediate harm of deportation, please reach out to Anna Campos, (alcampos@ucsc.edu, 831-459-3048), or Pablo Reguerin (831-428-2839).
- University of California’s Undocumented Student Resources website (http://undoc.
universityofcalifornia.edu/). - Many of us are following the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) for policy issues and guidance. A good community advisory bulletin: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW IF THE DACA PROGRAM ENDS?
- The University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center (https://law.ucdavis.edu/
ucimm/). UC attorneys and fellows provide legal advice to students (undergraduate and graduate) and their families at UC Davis, UCLA, UC Merced, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and UC Riverside. Contact Karina Rocha, Paralegal (krocha@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-7996 or ucimm@law.ucdavis.edu). - Santa Cruz County Immigration Project (SCCIP). (http://cabinc.org/2017/04/21/
santa-cruz-county-immigration- project-sccip/). For questions or to schedule an appointment, please call Doug Keegan, Program Director (831-724-5667, Doug@cabinc.org). SCCIP is located on 406 Main Street, Suite 217 Watsonville, CA 95076. This is a community resource for staff, faculty, and community members. UC Santa Cruz students and their immediate family members should use the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center (above).
Campus Resources
- Educational Opportunity Programs: https://eop.ucsc.edu/
- Dean of Students: https://deanofstudents.ucsc.
edu/index.html - Slug Support: https://deanofstudents.ucsc.
edu/slug-support/program/ index.html - Financial Aid and Scholarships: https://financialaid.ucsc.edu/
get-started/Dreamers/index. html - Counseling and Psychological Services: https://caps.ucsc.edu/ Elena Herrera (eherrer9@ucsc.edu) is the lead on immigrant student issues and she works closely with EOP.
- Resource Centers: https://resourcecenters.ucsc.
edu/ - Career Center: https://careers.ucsc.edu/
- Student Health Services: https://healthcenter.ucsc.edu
- SHOP: https://shop.ucsc.edu
