Madeleine Coles
News Editor
Last Friday, ISU students marched from Holt Arena to the Student Union Building to defend DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
DACA, which was established by the Obama administration in 2012, allows individuals who entered the country illegally as minors to apply for deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. The policy was rescinded by the Trump administration on Sept. 5.
The march was organized by Alicia Ortiz, with help from her sorority, LTA Zeta Eta, as well as the Idaho State Lambdas, the HALO club, and the CLEO Girls.
“I signed a petition, and they sent me an email letting me know they were going to have a DACA march Sept. 5,” Ortiz said. “Unfortunately, all of us were busy, but I still wanted to have one.”
She then sent out letters to the diversity center, the TRiO office and two former students who were part of the ASISU Senate. She also contacted attorney Esperanza Granados who was the keynote speaker for the event.
Granados will also be working with five other attorneys to waive the attorney fee for the application DACA members, who are commonly referred to as Dreamers, need to turn in. However, members will still need to pay the application fee.
Ortiz hopes to again partner with those involved in the march to hold a fundraiser to help members with the application fee.
Ortiz said it was important for ISU students to show their support, even if they are not directly affected by DACA.
“There’s a lot of students who are younger than us, and if this goes away, they won’t be able to go to college,” Ortiz said. “Everybody has the American dream, and I feel like taking this away will take that chance away from them.”
She added that she wants students to show support and kindness for one another through this time.
“I think overall what most students are trying to do are to help one another,” she said. “I want to keep that legacy going on. And overall, I think it’s just a feeling that we helped.”
