San Diego Group Helps DACA Recipients Fearing Deportation under Trump

image
Published: 13 Jan, 2017
2 min read

San Diego, CALIF.- In an effort to educate, inform, and help young immigrants navigate changes that might be coming from President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration policies, Alliance San Diego has launched a video and outreach campaign, "Rising Together." The purpose of the campaign is to help immigrants decide what to do before Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Trump has promised to make changes to President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. That’s the program benefiting thousands of young immigrants.

Obama’s program has given deportation relief and temporary work permits to those who arrived in the U.S. illegally before the age of 16.

In some cases, it has also given them financial aid for school. One of those students to take advantage of the program is Itzel Guillen, a DACA recipient since 2013. Guillen is part of the outreach program and employed at Alliance San Diego. Guillen told IVN San Diego, “The DACA program has made my dreams come true.”

A senior at San Diego State University, Guillen is pursuing a Political Science degree. As for Trump, Guillen noted, “The president-elect has threatened to kill the DACA program. That’s a scary thought for myself and the thousands of immigrants who benefit from the program.”

Last month, Trump's transition team asked the Department of Homeland Security if the biographic information of immigrants had been altered in any way "out of concern for their civil liberties.”

News raised questions about whether the request was tied to plans to use that information to deport DACA recipients. In the past, administrative programs like DACA have never been used as a base for deportation.

Still, Trump also noted in a New York Times interview in early December, his administration wouldn’t separate families if those DACA recipients hadn’t been convicted of a criminal act in the United States.

Long-time immigrant activist in San Diego and Washington, D.C., Christian Ramirez is working with Alliance San Diego on the DACA outreach campaign. Ramirez told IVN San Diego, “We're taking the lead in San Diego County without a doubt." Ramirez added, “We’re taking a proactive stance by talking with local, state, and federal authorities to make certain our immigrant population in California is protected. We’re taking this step no matter what happens.”

IVP Donate

The campaign is advising immigrants to explore permanent immigration programs. Alliance San Diego notes 15 percent of the undocumented population in San Diego County qualifies for immigration programs such as the U-Visa, for immigrants who are victims of crimes, or the Violence Against Women Act.

The Alliance San Diego campaign includes countywide information sessions at education centers, faith centers, health centers, and more.

Immigrants can also call a new hotline at (619) 363-3423.

Photo Credit: Ryan Rodrick Beiler / shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

Trump sitting in the oval office with a piece of paper with a cannabis leaf on his desk.
Is Trump About to Outflank Democrats on Cannabis? Progressives Sound the Alarm
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern....
08 Dec, 2025
-
5 min read
Malibu, California.
From the Palisades to Simi Valley, Independent Voters Poised to Decide the Fight to Replace Jacqui Irwin
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. ...
10 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Ranked choice voting
Ranked Choice for Every Voter? New Bill Would Transform Every Congressional Election by 2030
As voters brace for what is expected to be a chaotic and divisive midterm election cycle, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.), Don Beyer (Va.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (Vt.) have re-introduced legislation that would require ranked choice voting (RCV) for all congressional primaries and general elections beginning in 2030....
10 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read