In recent weeks, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) has expressed concern for the well-being of its undocumented students, specifically those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
After President Donald Trump’s announcement regarding DACA, SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati issued a statement, sharing disappointment and concern felt by many local families.
“The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education and I reaffirm our commitment to providing all school-aged students with access to an excellent education and the opportunities that education provides without regard to their immigration status or the immigration status of their parents,” Drati wrote in a statement released by the school district.
In early September, the president ordered an end to DACA, a 2012 program enacted by former president Barack Obama that allowed young undocumented immigrants to stay in the country and legally work without fear of deportation. Congress is now tasked with passing a replacement program within six months, or he “will revisit this issue,” according to a tweet.
According to The New York Times, 800,000 young adults who were previously under the protection of DACA will become eligible for deportation.
Days after the announcement, Trump tweeted, “For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about – No action!”
Meant to reassure those with DACA status, the tweet did nothing of the sort.
In the SMMUSD statement, Drati also mentioned, “As outlined in our Board of Education resolution dated Dec. 15, 2016, our campuses will continue to be ‘safe zones.’”
In Resolution No. 16-15: Commitment to Education of All Children and Protection of Rights of Undocumented Students, the board of education publicly affirmed its decision to educate any and all students in the district, regardless of their status.
Specifically, the resolution mentions U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe (1982), where the ruling stated a public school district cannot deny children access to education based on immigration status.
The resolution also mentions the “climate of heightened fear and anxiety” that families and students feel with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations around the country.
Santa Monica Police Department Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks released a statement in November 2016 saying the department “has a decades-old policy and practice of leaving the enforcement of immigration violations to the federal authorities … similar to other municipal law enforcement agencies, we are sensitive to the principle that effective law enforcement depends on a high degree of cooperation between the SMPD and the public we serve.”
At the Monday, Sept. 25, Malibu City Council meeting, Council Member Laura Rosenthal brought up the controversial program, in line with a statement released by the school district.
The two mentioned the school district’s offer to help students at Samohi, Olympic and Malibu High School with renewing their DACA status.
SMMUSD, the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College have partnered to help those struggling to pay the $505 fee to renew their DACA status by Oct. 5.
Students can apply for assistance by scheduling an appointment with Santa Monica College’s Director of Academic Affairs Initiatives Edna Chavarry at chavarry_edna@smc.edu or calling 310.434.8719. For those with daytime commitments, evening or weekend appointments can also be made through Public Counsel at 213.385.2977.
Those interested in supporting DACA students can donate at give.everydayhero.com/us/smmusd_dreamers. Since the school district does not require information on DACA status, it could not give an exact number of students who are seeking renewal—but the district set a goal of raising $25,000 online. Of that, more than $6,000 had been raised by press time.
Meanwhile, the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs will be hosting its last Facebook Live event, “Keep Your DACA,” on Monday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. The office, along with a panel of immigration experts, will be available to answer questions from residents about changes to the DACA program. The event will be hosted on their Facebook page (facebook.com/LAC4immigrants).
The Office of Immigrants Affairs reminds those who receive DACA, and have a status expiration date before Mar. 5, 2018, to renew their status before Thursday, Oct. 5. According to the office, an estimated 15,000 people in the Los Angeles area are affected by this change.
