Undocumented students do not have the same opportunities as others when it comes to their educational path. They live in low-income communities and have fewer options to finance their education. I have selected the topic of undocumented students and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status due to recent attempts by the Trump administration to eliminate this program. This will help faculty and staff stay up to date with any recent changes to the DACA program for students. 

Undocumented students remain a main target for STC. The DACA application is what assists the majority of these students to continue their education. Being an undocumented student with no legal resources to obtain legal employment can prohibit students to continue their education. Many students feared with the elimination of the DACA program they would not be able to obtain employment after they completed their education. More importantly many undocumented students feared and continue to fear being deported if DACA is completely terminated. South Texas College is staying up to date with all new information regarding the DACA program to keep all their students well informed (K. Guzman, personal communication, November 20, 2020). 

·         Since TASFA applications must be submitted in paper format, it is always good to inform students about updates in funding that they have available when they are dropping off their documents. 

·         Inform students on what legal options they have for employment and inform them about the DACA application process. 

·         Parents and students are sometimes afraid they will face deportation due to the personal information that is requested on the TASFA applications. So, informing parents and students that their information is kept safe will assist them with any doubt they might have that the information will be used against them.  

Undocumented students face a number of issues. The type of State financial aid they apply for is very limited and only covers tuition and fees. Also, most undocumented students are not provided with extra funding to assist with the purchasing of school’s materials they require. With the trump administration attempting to end the DACA program, many students are fearing that their education will be cut short and the information on their TASFA will be used to locate and deport them. The DACA program does not just affect students. Some of our professional educators are under the DACA program and they also fear the termination of the program and what harm it can cause them and their families (K. Guzman, personnel communication, November 20, 2020).

·         President Elect Biden will attempt to reopen the DACA program for new applicants immediately after he takes office. 

·         President Elect Biden is going to attempt and add additional financial resources for DACA students. These new resources would include “federal student loans and pell grants” (Redden, 2020). 

Undocumented students are dreaming big. If they are able to receive these additional financial resources and the DACA program continues, they will have a better path for their education and career. Many undocumented students would benefit tremendously from federal funding since not all TASFA applications can be approved due to the limited funding for that program. So, with additional funding from the federal government, those students that would normally qualify for assistance but did not because there was not enough state funding now have those additional resources. 

Redden, E. (November 20, 2020). ‘They Are Americans Now’. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/11/10/president-elect-biden-has-pledged-reinstate-daca 

 

·      The Trump administration is rejecting the initial new DACA applications being submitted. 

·      They will only consider renewals, but it would be on a case by case situation and if they would get approved it would only be for one year instead of two (Mangan, 2020). 

 

This uncertainty has put numerous amounts of undocumented people in danger. Families are extremely happy that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against ending the program. Unfortunately, current DACA students are not guaranteed to stay on the program with this current administration.  

 

Mangan, K. (July 28, 2020). Trump Administration Will Reject New DACA Applications While It Reviews Program. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/trump-administration-will-reject-new-daca-applications-while-it-reviews-program?cid=gen_sign_in

 

·      Texas guarantees all individuals within the state equal rights

·      Nobody can be denied services based on national origins

 

This Texas constitution provides protection for individuals requesting assistance. This can protect DACA students when they are requesting assistance to continue their education. 

 

Tex. Const. art. 1, § 3a (added 1972).

 

This policy that was enacted by congress gave further strength to individuals wanting to receive a free education. They could not be denied these services based on their race, color, sex, or national origin. 

 

Equal Education Opportunities and Transportation of Students, 20 USC § 1701.

 

This letter went on to state that the Department of Education prohibits any form of discrimination and that they encourage all institutions to accept students around their regions. They also issued examples of proper enrollment processes.  

 

Ali, R., Rose, C. P., & Perez, T. E. (May 6, 2011). Joint “Dear Colleague” Letter. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201101.html

 

This court case provided a backing to undocumented students to begin or continue their education without resistance. This court case essential paved ways for future decisions that provided stability for the education of undocumented students. 

 

Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982). 

 

South Texas College. (n.d.). Senate Bill 1528-TASFA. Retrieved from  https://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/finaid/SB1528/index.html

 

Educators’ Code of Ethics, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 247.2.

 

Pena, J. (July 5, 2019). Undocumented Students: History and Implications for Higher Education Administrators. Journal of Higher Hispanic Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719860482 

·       All educators should be informed about current and changing laws that can affect their students. 

·       K-12 and post-secondary institutions must provide proper resources to all legal updates that can affect undocumented students. 

·       Outreach programs can be established to target undocumented students to inform them of their resources both financially and legally to start or continue with their post-secondary education. 

·       Post-secondary institutions must provide the proper guidance for undocumented students in applying for financial assistance. 

·       Simplify the TASFA application for students. 

·       Often times, students do not want to disclose their immigration status due to the fear of being ridiculed. All faculty and staff at all levels of education must provide the best assistance to their professional capacity to ensure the students feel welcomed. 

·       Higher education institutions must adapt their faculty, staff and student policies to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.