CTCS 585: Activism in the Digital Age: FightOn For DACA Research and Directions

MISSION STATEMENT:

The FightOnForDACA campaign aims to raise the USC student body's awareness of the challenges unique to living undocumented in the US and to stimulate political involvement on the campus, state, and national levels. FightOnForDACA casts a wide net through social media, video production, and on the ground activism to make "sanctuary" a central part of USC campus culture. We move Trojans to Fight On! for deportation-protection for DACA recipients and their families; to keep the USC administration honest and specific in their commitment to protect the undocumented in the Trojan Family; and for a congressional bill that provides a viable path to citizenship for undocumented Americans.

WHAT IS DACA?

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, is an executive order signed by Barack Obama in 2012 in light of Congress's failure to pass the DREAM Act. The DACA program shields high achieving undocumented youth from deportation and grants them work permits. The program requires applicants to have entered the US when they were under 16, to be currently enrolled in or have completed training in high school or the military, and to have no significant criminal record. Current enrollment is roughly 800,000, though 1.4 million are thought to be eligible.

DACA @ USC still needs fleshing out, but some issues include:

Limited access to financial aid/loans
Lack of designated physical Resource Center for Undocumented Immigrants

(despite there being many various resources, there is no center especially for undocumented USC students)

Data surrounding DACA for USC context:

LA is home to 1 million undocumented immigrants

ACTION IDEAS:

Interview/Get President Nikias to record a video offering his specific story as an immigrant in support of undocumented/dreamer students

already precedent for that in his latest memo.

Involve Edwin Saucedo, USC alumnus, previous Student Body President, and current MA candidate in Public Administration at USC. His father's deportation motivates his activism and community organizing.

Campaign for USC to join the UC system's lawsuit against the Trump Administration's DACA decision.

http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-essential-education-updates-southern-uc-sues-the-trump-administration-for-1504896004-htmlstory.html

FACTS TO BE ADAPTED (to tweets, etc.):

ECONOMIC IMPACT:

Ending DACA would cost the economy over $215 billion dollars in lost GDP and the federal government $60 billion dollars in lost revenue over the next ten year

SOURCE: the Cato Institute https://www.cato.org/blog/economic-budgetary-cost-repealing-daca-state-level

200,000 of those who gave the gov't their fingerprints and addresses were Californians. All 800,000 are now imminently in danger of deportation.

"About half of those estimated to be eligible, more than 800,000 people, gave the government personal information such as their fingerprints and home addresses to get a two-year reprieve from deportation and a work permit. A quarter of them were Californians." SOURCE: <http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-dreamers-california-daca-20170917-story.html>

SCRIPTS:

Calling congress for DREAM Act:

Need inspiration? Here’s what we suggest you tell your Member of Congress:

Hi, my name is _______ and I’m a constituent. I’m calling today because DACA, a program that protects nearly 800,000 Dreamers from deportation, is under attack and Dreamers need your help.

Dreamers work in every industry and at nearly every single major company in America. They are teachers and nurses, managers and military personnel. They are part of the fabric of our nation and we’re stronger because of them.

The bipartisan DREAM Act was recently introduced to provide Dreamers the critical protections they need to live, work, study and serve in our military. It is crucial that [district/state] support a viable path to citizenship for those members of the undocumented community that trusted the US government with their personal information.

Please sign on to the DREAM Act now and stand with Dreamers! Thank you.

Adapted from <https://dreamers.fwd.us/thanks-now-call>

MEME ARCHIVE: