OU students and faculty members gathered in solidarity with students affected by DACA before a crowd of more than 100 at a “Support the Dream” rally Sept. 15 on the South Oval.
The rally came 10 days after President Trump announced a decision to rescind DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program providing protection from deportation and work and travel permits for two-year periods to undocumented immigrants who came to America as children.
Trump reached an agreement with top Democrats Wednesday to protect the 800,000 DACA recipients in the country.
Jabar Shumate, vice president for the University Community, said the event was about making sure the 80 DACA students on OU’s campus understand the university is committed to helping them stay here.
“We will stay vocal and vigilant, and we won’t stop until policies are embedded,” Shumate said.
Judith Huerta, a speaker from Dream Act Oklahoma, said DACA brought the promise of protection from deportation and gave her the ability to legally work in the U.S.
“(Rescinding DACA) is an attack on people of color from white supremacists,” Huerta said. “We refuse to be used as bargaining chips to pass hateful policies.”
Crowd begins chanting "I believe that we will win" after long chant pic.twitter.com/EEEGiXzAeZ
— Ipek Duman (@ipek_duman1) September 15, 2017
Several of OU’s DACA students also lent their voices to the event. Carlos Rubio, industrial and systems engineering sophomore, said his parents shouldn’t be demonized for providing him opportunities.
Rubio: There are many groups of people who are represented by DACA, not just Latinos
— Ipek Duman (@ipek_duman1) September 15, 2017
“I stand here as a community member, as a student and as a dreamer,” Rubio said.
Vanessa Meraz, director of the Student Government Association’s Department of Inclusivity, said in planning the event, her goal was to provide more information about DACA in general, as well as share personal stories from those directly affected by the ending of DACA.
“More needed to be done,” Meraz said. “I think it’s more powerful when it comes from the people who are affected, and I’m affected by the termination of DACA.”
Psychology sophomore Diana Prieto encouraged crowd members to keep calling their representatives and to keep fighting.
“I’m fighting for my sister because she doesn’t have a voice,” Prieto said. “I’m tired of the limitations we have, because this is my home.”
Meraz: i beg you to keep supporting us, even when everybody forgets. It's not out-of-sight-out-of-mind for me and other dreamers
— Ipek Duman (@ipek_duman1) September 15, 2017
Daisy Barrios, mechanical engineering freshman, said she attended the rally because the event was relevant to her own life.
“As a kid, my father was an immigrant, and he didn’t get an education because he didn’t have the DACA opportunity,” Barrios said. “It just breaks my heart. We live the same life.”
Pre-nursing sophomore Rosi Jimenez said DACA has completely changed the course of her life.
“When I was in high school, I didn’t plan on college. I didn’t even know if I was going to graduate from college,” she said. “(After DACA was passed) I began trying hard in school and got scholarships for college. DACA motivates the Hispanic community so they know they can get farther in life.”
The event concluded with a prayer and a short chant led by Meraz:“Sí se puede,” which translates to “Yes we can.”
