Undocumented students made impassioned pleas for support to the University of Colorado’s Board of Regents on Friday, asking the board to protect them from President Donald Trump’s administration.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, several undocumented students studying on the Boulder campus testified before the board that their lives have been filled with anxiety and worry since Trump’s inauguration last month.
“Instead of being able to focus on my studies, I am forced to worry about how to pay for college, if I’ll be able to keep my internship and complete my degree, is my family safe without me being with them,” said Juan Vargas-Murillo, an undergraduate engineering student on the Boulder campus.
“The biggest fear I have right now is a knock on the door. A knock on the door that could possibly result in the breaking up of my family.”
Vargas-Murillo shared with the board that being admitted to CU continues to be one of his proudest accomplishments. His father did not complete grade school, his mother did not complete middle school and his older sister did not complete high school.
“I made the conscious choice to pursue higher education over all the negative influences I had in the hopes of providing a better future for my family and paving the way for my 5-year-old sister and 1-year-old brother to becoming future Buffs,” he said.
Other undocumented students shared similar personal stories and opinions with the board.
A representative from CU Student Government gave the board a few suggestions for ways they can support undocumented students on CU’s campuses.
Jesse Niebaum, a doctoral student in psychology and neuroscience and a student government representative, suggested that faculty and staff undergo extensive training about privacy laws before providing information about students to government agencies.
Niebaum also recommended that CU start a fundraising campaign to support undocumented students who may lose their eligibility to work in the U.S.
The CU students say they fear that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will be discontinued by the Trump administration. That program, which President Barack Obama implemented with a 2012 executive order, allows eligible undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16 to work and study in the country without fear of deportation.
Trump has said that he plans to “cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama” within his first 100 days in office. He also vowed to build a wall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained a 23-year-old DACA recipient in Seattle. Some are viewing his detention as an attack on DACA by the new administration.
Speaking on behalf of the board, Regent Glen Gallegos, a Republican from Grand Junction, told the students that the regents were listening.
“We want to be careful in considering your requests,” Gallegos said. “We will ask our leadership to assist us in reviewing your requests and making recommendations about what options are lawfully available.”
CU’s leadership has already signaled its support for DACA recipients. President Bruce Benson, Chancellor Phil DiStefano and the chancellors from CU’s other campuses recently joined more than 600 colleges and universities around the country in signing a letter of support for DACA.
Regent Linda Shoemaker, a Boulder Democrat, thanked CU’s leaders for signing that letter of support — known as the Pomona Pledge — and tried to reassure the undocumented students who attended the meeting.
“The fact that the chancellors and our president all signed this pledge means they want you to be here,” Shoemaker said. “You are valued members of this campus community. You are safe here. You are as safe here as you are anywhere in this country today.”
The regents heard from an uncharacteristically high number of people during public comment on a range of diverse topics including climate change, Trump’s executive order on immigration, graduate student wages and fossil fuel divestment.
Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta
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