26F would offer equality to DACA students

Editor,

We, as students who participated in an endeavor to bring Resolution 26F to ASUNM, feel that the Daily Lobo’s article on the matter in the Thursday, September 12 issue was somewhat inaccurate and may have overlooked the main focus of the issue.

The students of UNM Dream Team have been working to gain support and strategize on different methods to push for immigration reform. During the past couple weeks, the members of UNM Dream Team reached out to the ASUNM senators, ethnic centers, student organizations and many other allies in an effort to pass an important resolution through the undergraduate student government body.

The primary goal of Resolution 26F is to allow any individual who has obtained status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and meets residency requirements (12 month consecutive presence in New Mexico) to be allowed to petition for in-state tuition.

 DACA is a discretionary decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security implemented August 15, 2012. It allows children who were brought to the U.S. under the age of 16 and have no criminal background to apply for lawful presence in the U.S. and a renewable two-year work permit.

The importance of passing this resolution is due to the high disparity between in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition: $3,223 per semester compared to $10,344 per semester. Any out-of-state student with a social security number who has resided in New Mexico for 12 consecutive months can petition to pay in-state tuition after that period. We believe that if the same requirements are met, DACA recipients should be allowed to petition for the same opportunity.

Under the guidelines set forth by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, which sets the rules dictating this matter, any individual that is lawfully present in New Mexico and fulfills the residency requirements has the right to petition for in-state tuition. Being that DACA grants lawful presence in the U.S. as ruled by a federal judge, DACA recipients should be allowed to petition as well.

ASUNM Resolution 26F shows UNM undergraduate support regarding this issue. It was sponsored by Senator Liliana Benitez De Luna, Senator Jason Fuller, Senator Erik Nava and Senator Meghan Maes.

It was supported at the ASUNM meeting by UNM Dream Team, MEChA de UNM, MexSA, MOCA, Amnesty International, LULAC, CAMPerinos, Students for Justice in Palestine, The Muslim Student Association, The National Society of Collegiate Scholars UNM chapter, Phi Iota Alpha and Alpha Kappa Delta. The resolution passed ASUNM by a vote of 18-0-0.

Only a handful of states have taken these steps, including Florida, Ohio and Massachusetts. If UNM were to follow in the same steps, it would be putting UNM and New Mexico at the forefront along with these other states making a historic change.

If you want to learn more about this resolution or if you want to get involved, you can email us at unmdream@unm.edu.

Hans Alvarado and Cecilia Velasco
UNM students