On September 5, 2017, the United States Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security announced that the Department of Homeland Security would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.
The DACA Program was created in 2012 to permit undocumented individuals who came to the United States as children to defer deportation and receive other benefits, including work authorization, if they met specific DACA criteria.
The Department of Homeland Security will “wind down” the DACA Program over the next six months, with the end date set for March 5, 2018.
The College advises anyone in the College community who is currently a recipient of DACA benefits to check the expiration date of his or her DACA benefits and work authorization. If those benefits will expire between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will consider renewal applications properly filed on or before October 5, 2017. If you fall into this category of DACA recipients, the College encourages you to apply for a renewal as far in advance of the October 5, 2017 deadline as possible. Information regarding how to renew DACA is available on the USCIS website.
The College also advises anyone who is a DACA recipient not to travel outside of the United States. There is no guarantee that DACA recipients will be permitted back into the United States, even if they are traveling using a valid advance parole document.
Finally, the College advises DACA recipients to seek advice from an immigration attorney or other expert to determine whether there are other avenues available outside of DACA to obtain legal immigration status.
For more information regarding the wind down of the DACA Program, you can visit the following links:
- FAQ's on the Rescission of DACA
- Fact Sheet on the Rescission of DACA
- Memorandum from Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on Rescission of DACA
- Letter from Attorney General Recommending Rescission of DACA
Students may also visit Single Stop to obtain legal advice regarding immigration or DACA issues. Single Stop is located in the Mint Building, Room M1-21.
Community College of Philadelphia has the appreciation of diversity embedded into the very fabric of its mission and vision for our students. We strongly affirm that commitment today, and ask that we remain informed on the crucial topics of the day, and engaged in spirited debates that will sustain a national march toward equity and inclusion.