Childhood Arrival Essay

June 15, 2012 marked a very important milestone for the millions of undocumented students in the United States. It was on this date that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was announced. This executive order gave deportation relief to millions of students and allowed them to obtain a social security number, a work permit, and in most states, a driver’s license (Adams 50). A very important motive for this executive order was to facilitate undocumented students to pursue higher education as well as legally practice their profession. Although it is a good sign for millions of students, there are still other factors that stand between these students and higher education. Some of the difficulties that DACA students face while pursuing …show more content…
Additionally, States reserve the power to determine the eligibility of foreign students for some state and local services (Adams 54). Unfortunately, many states cannot agree on how to interpret the legal status of a DACA student in terms of admission and in-state tuition eligibility requirements in many sates (Adams 62). Shortly after the implementation of DACA Governor Jan Brewer issued an executive order sating that DACA students were not lawfully present in the United States, making them ineligible for in-state tuition and financial aid. However, some college districts ignored this order and claimed that a student’s driver license was enough to prove residency and qualify for in-state tuition rates. This case is important because it makes it clear that the lack of federal law regarding the interpretation of legal status of DACA students creates confusion within the state governments and their districts. Some states have declared that when it comes to admissions, DACA students are considered as legal residents while others claim that they are not considered legal residents and therefore not qualify for in-state tuition or state financial