Undocu Ally Training part one of two was hosted via Zoom on Tuesday, October 27th with a total of 65 participants. Part one of the training covered an overview of US immigration history and state and federal legislation.
The training began with a few ground rules. A few were to hold confidentiality for any individual stories shared, mutual respect and understanding, and be in a space to participate, ask questions and enjoy the process of learning,
The three learning outcomes were to increase awareness of relevant state and federal laws that affect undocumented students, understand the significance of being an ally, and describe and implement strategies to support undocumented classmates.
Undocu Ally training has been offered to faculty and staff for about seven years. This is the first time the training is offered to students.
The curriculum was created based on compilation from different training from other ally training done for faculty and staff in other college campuses. With permission, usage of specific reference material was included,” said Jose Gutierrez, Counselor and DREAM services coordinator. .
“We want participants to walk away with practical tools, knowledge and empowerment of what to say and not say to students who are undocumented,” said Gutierrrez.
The topic of intersectionality was covered to help students understand how undocumented students are affected by identities. Identities one can associate with are race, ethnicity, education, family, socio-economic status, sexuality, religion, age, and more.
Language is powerful and understanding the terms used to refer to undocumented people is important. For example, a common term often used is illegal.
Illegal is used to describe someone who is undocumented but a word like that can be offensive and often times dehumanizes the immigrant community. It is highly advised to not use that term.
Next, the topic of U.S. immigration history was discussed. US immigration history can be complex and often changing. The banning or allowing of entire racial or ethnic groups from entering the United State is not new.
Briefly, in 1882 the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese immigration for ten years. Then, Immigration Act of 1917 banned imigration from the Asia-Pacific zone. In 1921, the U.S. capped immigration based on nationality.
In 1962, the U.S. stopped limiting immigration based only on race which still had limited spots and was based on quotas.. Then, in 1965 the quota system was repealed and allowed more diverse immigrants from south and central america and Asia.
In the 1970’s and 80’s a larger population of Asian migration occurred. Lastly, in the 1990’s the U.S. increased immigrantion capacity to 700,000 annually.
Today, the U.S. is faced with similar issues such as the previous Syrian refugee crisis, the travel ban of 2018 against muslim-majority countries, North Korea and Venezuela.
In regards to LBCC, undocumented students are welcome and can attend school. There are two types of undcomumneted students, one are DACA recipients or AB-540 students.
DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. This applies to immigrant students who were brought to the country as children. With DACA students receive a work-permit and temporary protection from immigration. This was introduced during Obama’s presidency.
With AB-540 students are eligible for in-state tuition and California financial aid through the DREAMS act application.
Under the current administration, DACA is in motion to end by the current presidential administration, but a recent ruling by the supreme court called for it to remain in place. DACA was never a permanent policy but during Trump’s presidency it is the first time it’s livelihood has been threatened.
This training was for students only. The next student training will be held on November 17th and 19th. The faculty and staff training were held in late September and early October. For more details click here.
Part two of the training will focus on mental health and trauma.
For more info on DREAM service at LBCC, click here.