California University Violates Federal Civil Rights Law by Refusing to Admit DACA Recipients
Loma Linda University, a private religious school in San Bernardino, CA has violated federal civil rights law by refusing to allow DACA recipients to enroll, according to the ACLU of Southern California.
The ACLU sent a letter to the school warning that the policy is unlawful. The letter was sent after Veronica Velasquez was notified in April that she had been accepted to the school’s graduate program for physical therapy, but eight days later her acceptance was abruptly rescinded because of her DACA status.
The university further told Valasquez that DACA recipients are prohibited from obtaining professional licenses and that they will have difficulty obtaining financial assistance. This was especially disturbing to the ACLU because in January, a new law took effect in California that requires licensing boards to consider applicants regardless of immigration status. Moreover, Valasquez’s financial situation should not have prevented her from being allowed to attend the school.
In addition to being unlawful, Loma Linda’s policy does not reflect DACA policies at other California colleges. Both public and private universities across the state accept students with DACA status.
https://www.aclusocal.org/pr-loma-linda-daca-policy/
Judge Halts Order Demanding DACA Recipients’ Personal Information
On May 19, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ordered the federal government to turn over personal data for tens of thousands of DACA recipients. Judge Hanen is the judge in Texas who first heard United States v. Texas, the lawsuit brought by Texas and 25 other states against the federal government in an effort to block Obama’s 2014 executive actions to initiate DAPA and expand DACA. His role in the suit has caused many to believe that he is anti-immigrant.
But on June 7, he halted the order pending the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling in United States v. Texas. A hearing has been set for August 22 to review the order following the Supreme Court decision.
The June 7th announcement was praised by many who felt that the initial order was grossly out of bounds, calling it an unconstitutional violation of privacy and security. While the order may still go into effect in August, critics are relieved that Judge Hanen decided to wait for Supreme Court guidance before initiating a measure that they say will cause irreversible damage to thousands of immigrant youth.
The decision to halt the order came after four people represented by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the ACLU of Texas, petitioned the Fifth Circuit for a writ of mandamus, a legal tool that allows someone who is not party to a case, but who is hurt by the order, to seek relief from a higher court.
DACA recipients are relieved that for the time being, their private information is safe. But they have vowed to keep fighting until their protection is permanent.
https://www.nilc.org/2016/06/07/dreamers-private-information-safe-for-now/
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