AURORA | Community College of Aurora officials this week pledged their support for immigrant and undocumented students in light of a recent federal court ruling that the DACA program is unlawful.
“To our CCA students who are DACA recipients and/or immigrant students: Know that You matter. You are valued. You belong,” the college’s new president, Mordecai Brownlee said in a message on the college website. “CCA is honored that you have entrusted our institution with your academic pathway and we are ready to provide you support.”
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is an executive order issued by the Obama administration that allows undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. when they were younger than 16 to apply for a renewable, two-year stay of deportation along with a work permit. There are approximately 700,000 DACA recipients, according to federal records, about 14,000 in Colorado.
Since being created, the program has withstood many legal challenges. Last week’s ruling halted new applications to the program, though the status of people who currently have DACA has not yet changed. The Biden administration said it will challenge the ruling, pointing toward an eventual Supreme Court decision.
Colorado Community College System Chancellor Joe Garcia has signed onto a letter urging Congress to pass the DREAM Act, previously making clear the state system’s support for DACA students in colleges across Colorado.
State community colleges, including CCA, do not track of the number of undocumented students who are enrolled, but former president Betsy Oudenhoven previously told The Sentinel that as an estimate, hundreds of CCA students are DACA recipients.
The college has a task force designed to serve undocumented students, and during the pandemic worked to find ways to support to students who could not apply for federal aid. CCA recently partnered with the Mexican General Consulate to give out $19,500 in scholarships to students who are Mexican nationals or of Mexican descent.
“The biggest needs for most college students are financial support and student support services,” a news release announcing the scholarship said. “These needs are even greater for Mexican-national and Mexican-origin students who are undocumented or have DACA status because they don’t qualify for federal financial aid, federal loans, the first rounds of CARES Act federal funding or work-study opportunities.”