Message from SLCC President: Fifth Circuit Decision on DACA

We are disappointed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit's decision earlier this week that has ruled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unconstitutional. DACA provides work permits and deportation protection for nearly 600,000 individuals who migrated to the U.S. as children. The ruling continues to leave the future of the DACA up in the air. Wednesday’s ruling sends the case back to Texas-based U.S. District Judge Andrew Hansen for a new look at the rule issued by the Biden Administration in late August.

As Utah’s most diverse college, we reaffirm our ongoing support for all students, faculty and staff, including those who are undocumented. Our goal is to support the success of everyone employed by and attending SLCC, whether or not DACA impacts them, and connect them with employment, educational and other services they need to achieve their dreams.

We want to remind our community that despite this detrimental outcome, students can still pursue higher education in Utah and benefit from several resources at SLCC and Salt Lake Technical College (SLTech). For more information, here is an infographic with the 5 things Dreamers and Allies should know about DACA.

One of SLCC’s best student resources is our Dream Center. Housed at our West Valley Center, the Dream Center connects our undocumented students with resources and provides specialized advising and scholarship support. Dream Center staff are currently available to meet with those affected by the recent DACA decision in person or via telephone or video conference.

To schedule a meeting with the Dream Center, reach out to Brenda Santoyo at brenda.santoyo@slcc.edu. If you are interested in volunteering your time to support the Dream Center, please reach out to Brenda. You can also support our students by donating to the Bruin Dreams Scholarship and/or the Undocumented Student Emergency Fund:

We want to remind SLCC employees that we have launched a DACA Renewal Reimbursement Program. For more information about this process, please review the communication VP Martin sent to all employees on September 15 or email daca@slcc.edu.

While the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit's decision represents another delay in a final decision for those directly impacted by DACA, SLCC remains committed to the success of all our undocumented immigrant students and employees and hopes that our nation can soon secure a more permanent solution.

Deneece G. Huftalin

President, Salt Lake Community College

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