The Oracle
M O N D AY S E P T E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 I V O L . 5 5 N O. 0 7
w w w. u s fo r a c l e. co m
U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H F LO R I DA
The DACA decision leaves DREAMers and their supporters concerned
DACA supporters unite during a protest in a sign of solidarity for those entering the U.S. as a part of the program. SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE By Nadaa Hussein C O R R E S P O N D E N T
You’ve lived in the U.S. for as long as you can remember, but you weren’t born here. Every Fourth of July you had a barbecue and watched fireworks with your friends, celebrating the independence of your country and you never felt out of place. You can’t remember an existence before your life as an American. Then someone tells you to leave and return to your country of origin. Home to you has always been the U.S. This is not just a tale, but a reality for students who have been living under the protection of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for years and will now be left with no place to call
home. On Sept. 5, 2017 President Donald Trump repealed DACA, an immigration law originally passed as an executive order by former President Barack Obama in June 2012. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DACA protects over one million individuals from deportation, as of 2016. DACA allows them to work, study and live in the U.S. legally. The recipients of this bill are called DREAMers — from the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM act), a predecessor of DACA that ultimately failed to pass. To request DACA, applicants must meet a list of requirements. They are required to have entered
Warmer waters mean stronger hurricanes Page 4
the U.S. before 2007, before they were 16, be younger than 31 as of 2012, be enrolled in school or the armed forces and have no felonies or misdemeanors. The $495 application lasts for two years and is renewable, as long as the applicant continues to meet the criteria. In response to the nullification of DACA, USF’s Office of Multicultural Affairs scheduled a community hour on Sept. 5, right after Trump announced his plans to renounce the program. The purpose was to discuss how this affects students and their loved ones. Stacy Pippen, Director of the Office of the Multicultural Affairs opened the hour with a speech about the importance of DACA. “Just know that no matter
where you stand on this case or these decisions or where you come from there are lots of feelings and emotions that may be different from your own,” Pippen said. “There is a human side to this decision and there is a human impact in this decision.” While Trump isn’t completely ending DACA, new applicants are no longer being accepted. Applications for renewal must be complete by Oct. 5. This gives current participants at least two years of protection from deportation and time to apply for citizenship. Trump’s DACA decision stirred a controversy on both ends of the political spectrum, with many representatives offering their opinions and views and trying to
OTL applications open for students
n See ULS on PAGE 3
Page 6
find solutions. U.S. Representative Kathy Castor (D) represents Florida’s 14th Congressional District. She is the creator of the American Dream Awards, which recognizes highachieving immigrant students. “DREAMers represent the best of America as they have built productive lives, attended school, are working and are committed to our great country,” Castor said in a press release on Sept. 5. “I plan to return to congress and press my colleagues to pass legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers” Aida Vazquez-Soto, president of Turning Point USA at USF, said she would support reform of DACA. “I understand that DACA was
n See DACA on PAGE 3
DiMarco was born for golf Page 10