Attending a panel discussion about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, a day after the Supreme Court held hearings on its legality was required, but being present meant a lot more to students there, than just a class assignment.
Multiple reports state that the courts are leaning to end the temporary program, which leaves many undocumented students at USC, unsure about their status in America.
On November 12, the Supreme Court heard arguments about DACA and whether or not to hear three cases pertaining to undocumented people.
DACA, a program initiated in 2012, under the Obama Administration, granted temporary status to immigrants, now referred to as “dreamers.” The program, which affects about 700,000 people, allowed them to work in the U.S and protected them from deportation.
The panel discussion, held by the USC Immigration Clinic of the Gould School of Law, focused on possible next steps for those undocumented, depending on the outcome of the case. Three panelists who all have ties to DACA and/or immigration shared their personal stories, in addition to Jean Reisz, the Co-Director of the Immigration Clinic, who laid out the possibilities.
“The options and outcomes are one-it’s not reviewable, the Supreme Court can’t review the government’s decision and DACA ends, two-it is reviewable but they had a reasonable basis and it ends or three-it wasn’t a reasonable basis and DACA is revamped."
The options Reisz mentioned are the result of Trump’s call to end DACA two years ago in September 2017.
Daniela Cruz, a current USC graduate student studying Public Health, recalls how DACA changed her life.
“When I applied to DACA, I hadn’t seen my mom in about seven years. DACA was an opportunity for me to reunite with my mom,” Cruz said. “She was in another state, so after I got DACA I was able to safely get on a plane to go see my mother.”
The program reunited Cruz with her mother years ago, but because of current uncertainty she could not travel to see her sick grandmother.
“I recently lost my grandmother, I think that was one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with, being away from home,” Cruz said.
According to the transcripts from the hearing, the majority conservative court seemed ready to side with Trump.
“I work with high school students in the summer...they shared their stories, they were both babies when they came, this is the only country they know as home,” Cruz said.
A decision in the courts can be made as soon as tomorrow but no later than June 2020.
This story has been updated.