Speakers discuss “DACA: Opportunity, Resilience, Uncertainty”
On Tuesday, Oct. 15 2019, Wofford students gathered at Meadors Multicultural House in the Greek Village to hear speakers Lendale Vazquez, Sarai Bautista and Aylin (last name redacted) talk about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s website describes DACA, as it is most popularly known, as “a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. Deferred action does not provide lawful status.” DACA allows “people who came to the United States as children and meet several guidelines” to go to college and work. The speakers, who do not only reside in South Carolina but are also beneficiaries of DACA, shared their stories of what it is like to be an immigrant in the U.S. but more importantly, in South Carolina. One of the main problems with DACA recipients in South Carolina is that although they are considered “lawfully present individuals,” federal law dictates that they are unable to receive “in-state tuition rates, certain South Carolina merit-based scholarships” which makes it hard for most DACA recipients to attend college.
Additionally, DACA beneficiaries are unable to obtain “professional licenses or certificates” required “to work in fields that are in high demand, such as nursing, teaching, counseling, engineering, social work and physical therapy.” The speakers explained that this problem exists because “federal law does not allow states to provide benefits to lawfully present individuals without passing a state law” and that is why they are part of a movement in South Carolina that is pushing the College Access And Workforce Development Act or the H3404/S4321.
This act would enable DACA recipients to receive the benefits that today, they can’t. Additionally, “students in states with similar policies are up to 54% more likely to pursue higher education and high school dropout rates are reduced by 14%.” Moreover, this act also benefits South Carolina and its residents: “DACA recipients arrived at an average of age six and have roots in the community They contribute money in the form of taxes to our pools of Medicaid, emergency services, schools and roads; they can earn twice as much with a Bachelor’s degree as with a high school diploma, increasing their purchasing power.”
Sarai Bautista said that in South Carolina alone, there is about 7,000 DACA recipients who will benefit from the act and their community as well. The speakers said that anyone can and is welcome to help pass the bill, by visiting “www.scstatehouse.gov and fill[ing] out your [home, not college] address on the ‘Find your Legislators’ box at [the] bottom left of the page. Send them a postcard or give them a call urging them to vote yes on H3404 and S431.” Sarai Bautista said, “it is normal for a bill to take years to pass [but] it doesn’t mean we’re gonna stop talking about it.”
For more information on the bill visit their Instagram @cawdscbill, Twitter @CAWDSCBILL, or Facebook page (“type ‘@3404’ in the search bar”).
