By Maria Zaldivar, Staff writer
Hofstra University is one of over 700 institutions that have signed a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy.
President Stuart Rabinowitz emailed a letter to students expressing Hofstra’s commitment to protecting students who are here under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order; no action against these invididuals has been taken by most of the universities that signed, including Hofstra.
Students and members of the community have attended several rallies and protests on Long Island and in New York City in support of DACA, and many students have opinions on the statements the White House has released.
“It’s wrong to take something like that away when it’s helped so many people get a start and form a life in this country. America was built on the idea of immigration and taking that away is wrong,” said McKenzie Smith, a senior journalism and French major.
Former President Barack Obama initiated DACA as an executive order in 2012. DACA benefits, such as the work permit, are provided for two years. DACA recipients are also known as “Dreamers” due to the influence from the Dream Act, a legislative fix that has been going through Congress since the Obama Administration.
President Rabinowitz offered several resources in order to help the students that might be affected by the decision, in his Sept. 5 email.
Hofstra offers resources such as the Deportation Defense Clinic (DDC). “We are doing intakes every Friday for people who have DACA who have final orders of removal in absentia, which means they did not show up to their court hearing and are being removed in their absence. During those intakes we see if there is any other form of relief that that individual might be eligible to apply for,” said Professor Emily Torstveit Ngara, the attorney-in-charge at the DDC.
University administrators have made statements of reassurance to students that feel nervous under the circumstances.
Dean of Students Sofia Pertuz said, “… anything we legally have to ask for admission we do, but we don’t ask our students for immigration papers; we just ask for the school ID. That is the only document we ask for.”
There is currently a six-month margin for Congress to reach a decision regarding this issue. DACA renewal requests will be accepted before Oct. 5 for people whose permits expire before March 5. New York has the third largest population of DACA recipients totaling 42,000.
“There are 10,000 people who have DACA in Long Island. We have clients who have been told by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) that they are subject to mandatory detention, so we are trying to challenge that,” Torstveit Ngara said. “We have some cases when we are saying that ICE have violated Fourth Amendment rights so we are trying to terminate removal proceedings based on that.”
The university is urging people that are currently DACA recipients to look for an immigration attorney, and to make sure that the attorney is in fact licensed to practice in immigration cases.
“As somebody who was born in America, I recognize that a certain privilege and opportunity comes with that,” said Tommy O’Connor, a junior radio production and studies major. “Now more than ever I accept that people come from different backgrounds, and rather than taking a passive ‘this is what is happening’ approach, I actively use that privilege of being an American citizen, and being an ally.”
Torstveit Ngara urges people to help in any way they can. “The filing fee for DACA is $495, and there is no fee waiver and I know there are a lot of places that are raising money to pay for people that can’t afford it,” Torstveit Ngara said. “People should be calling your representatives and senators telling them that you want them to pass the Dream Act.”
The Hofstra Chronicle 