Letter to the campus community from DePaul University President A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D.
September 5, 2017
Dear DePaul Community,
Today President Trump announced that he is rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, and called on Congress to replace the policy with legislation. Since 2012, DACA has allowed undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, including some of our DePaul students, to receive temporary work authorization and protection from deportation.
While the immediate effects of this change in immigration policy are not known, I will reiterate and pledge my support to a message that DePaul administrators have shared with you in the past: DePaul has always welcomed students regardless of their citizenship status, and we will maintain an unwavering commitment to undocumented students who choose this university for their education.
As part of that commitment, we will continue working with community organizations to encourage a legislative solution for immigration reform. DePaul's Undocumented Student Working Group will continue seeking methods of support for undocumented students, a task that has gained more urgency in light of today’s presidential action.
DePaul also will continue to make available extensive resources to assist if you have questions or know of students who are uncertain about the implications of their legal status.
- Students have access to Croak Community Legal Clinic, located in the Lincoln
Park Student Center, which provides free legal services as well as
referrals to external resources.
- The DePaul Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic can assist
students and their families. They have also developed a referral list
of low-cost legal service providers who provide assistance in DACA cases
and have engaged DePaul College of Law alumni to provide one-on-one
consultations for DACA and undocumented students. For appointments, students can contact Jenny Freundt at jfreundt@depaul.edu.
- University Counseling and Psychological Services and University Ministry both stand ready to support
students more personally as they balance the stress that such uncertainty
brings.
- More broadly, DePaul’s Immigrant
and Refugee webpage and DREAM
webpage list both internal and external resources for undocumented and
immigrant students. The DREAM
resource guide, developed by DePaul's Undocumented Student Working
Group, provides scholarships and financial aid resources, and support
services at DePaul and in the greater Chicago community.
Our students affected by DACA are fine young people trying to survive a challenging situation not of their own making. They are as much a part of Chicago as any students, and they deserve a chance to fully contribute to our culture and economy. The experience my wife and I had immigrating to the United States is evidence of the transformative power of education and the good that comes from providing support to students through trying life circumstances. I encourage the U.S. government to find a permanent solution that helps these students realize the American dream.
As always, thank you for your care for DePaul and this community.
Respectfully,
A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D.
President
Letter to the campus community from DePaul University Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Elizabeth Ortiz, Ed.D.
February 21, 2017
Dear DePaul Community,
Today the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued two memoranda signaling a shift in priorities regarding how immigration law will be enforced. We were thankful the memos preserve the Obama administration’s policy on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that has provided work permits to over 750,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children and upon which a number of our students rely.
However, we realize today’s larger shift of enforcement priorities will likely continue to generate fear and concern for many of our students and especially their families.
Please know that in the midst of the uncertainty surrounding immigration rights, we hold fast to our unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion that is a hallmark of DePaul. The university continues to make available resources to assist our students and their families. These resources are listed on a
new comprehensive DePaul website that the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity developed with university stakeholders for immigrants, refugees and allies.
On this website, you can find:
- Past university statements on immigration
- Information on upcoming events on refugee and immigration issues
- Internal and external legal resources and support services for undocumented, DACA, international or refugee students
- Scholarship, fellowship and program information for diverse students
We are actively monitoring the ongoing changes to federal immigration policy and will update both the Immigrants and Refugee Resource website and the community at large with useful information on how future changes may affect our campus. Thank you for your continued support in keeping DePaul an inclusive and welcoming community for all.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Ortiz
Vice President, Institutional Diversity and Equity
Letter to the campus community from DePaul University
January 30, 2017
While federal agencies work to find a common understanding of the executive order, we strongly urge students and faculty from the countries affected to defer travel outside the United States. We also encourage students to consider the university resources that are available.