Joseline Cano
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Dominican students and leaders have been mobilizing to protect students who had been protected by DACA from deportations.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy allowed 800,000 individuals across the country to work legally in the U.S. without the fear of deportation for two years at a time. The news came after a series of days where the press speculated whether Trump would terminate the program after having said he would not touch it when his presidency first began.
Later that afternoon, hundreds of protesters crowded around Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to express their hurt, anger, and solidarity towards the decision. One protester, a sophomore at Dominican University, Alexc Hernandez, had a lot to share.
“I was prompted to attend the DACA protest because I believe there is a power, in people and that power magnifies when there are large groups of us,” Hernandez said, “I can’t imagine
losing my mom or other family members. No one should live through that fear.”
The protest began with a rally where members of the community expressed their fears but also their willingness to fight back. One speaker for instance, has been a teacher in Chicago for the last 6 years. She disclosed her concerns on how her students would deal with her absence if she was ever deported. She ended her speech by sending President Trump the message that she will fight back, resulting in rumbustious cheers throughout the plaza.
The protest then began making its way down Dearborn St. until the mob of people were situated in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements on Congress Parkway.
“It was a very diverse group, there were caucasians, Asians, Latinx, African Americans, and people who identified with the Muslim faith,” Hernandez continues, “The most amazing story to me was from a queer young women who shared that she had gotten in Trump’s face during a campaign rally asking him where he would deport her given that she is an immigrant from Europe. She shared that she was a sexual assault victim and lesbian. After she shared her story, so many people hugged her, including myself.”
At one point, the detainees at the Chicago Metropolitan Correction Center were seen observing the rally and chanting along.
“We recognized this and began to chant, ‘We love you’ to them, I almost cried. The protest was focused on
love and support,” Hernandez says.
Dominican President Donna Carroll said Friday evening, “We try to make sure we let our students know what is available to them in school and in the state. We are working with PASO, a social justice organization created to support the community members, to provide legal help for students and their family.”
Besides legal help, Dominican has been working to provide emotional and financial support. Lisa Petrov, assistant professor to Spanish and Director of Latin
and Latino American Studies minor, shared that the university has been leading peace circles in the Ministry Center and will lead a
legal clinic on Oct. 10, for all
students affected.
President Carroll adds, “Dominican has been exploring different avenues of giving students financial support.” One of the possibilities being looked in to is finding alternatives to work study so students don’t lose their jobs on campus.
She continues, “It is disheartening for me to hear language like “illegal immigrants,” It’s devaluing and discouraging. Dominican is proud to be a robust and diverse student body. We are not a perfect place but our hearts are in the right place.”
Petrov adds, “What a lot of DACA recipients don’t understand is that they made DACA happen. They are the reason behind why it was signed into place. They were strong before DACA, and they will be strong after DACA.”
canojose@my.dom.edu