November 30, 2018
Act on the Dream Coalition discusses impact of midterm elections on DACA/DREAMers
The Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities convened an Act on the Dream Coalition meeting on Nov. 27, 2018, in Washington, D.C., to provide an update on the impact of the November midterm elections on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the DREAM Act. Representatives from 25 national higher education and immigration organizations were among the participants.
The elections update and the outlook for the future of DACA and the DREAM Act were presented by Michael Zola, vice president for government relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us.
David A. Ortiz, PhD, executive director of policy analysis & information for HACU, provided an overview of the national online resource center launch of a mobile app. The “Community Resource Center for DACA/DREAMers and Hispanic-Serving Institutions” mobile app "HACU CRC" is currently available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
A free webinar on “Supporting the Mental Health of Undocumented and Immigrant Students” was held on Nov. 30 to discuss current mental health issues impacting these students and how to build and implement successful interventions and services across the college campus. The presentations and webinar recording will soon be available in the CRC website.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the coalition members to share their efforts and/or challenges to support DREAMers and explore next steps.
More than 35 national higher education organizations and immigration stakeholders are part of the Coalition. Among the areas of discussions for the Coalition have been strategies to support passage of the DREAM Act and resources to support DACA students, DREAMers, their families, and institutions of higher education.
Photo: David A. Ortiz, PhD speaks to participants at meeting held in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 27.