Frequently Asked Questions about DACA

The College’s President, Dean of the College, and Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students have commented on President Trump’s decision on DACA students: “As we feared, President Trump announced today his intention for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to expire in six months, unless Congress intervenes. We are very disappointed and saddened by this decision.  We believe it is deeply flawed educationally, wrong, and cruel. As you may know, we lobbied publicly to preserve this program, alongside most of the higher education community. It is unfortunate that this advocacy was unsuccessful.”

Steven Poskanzer, President
Beverly Nagel, Dean of the College
Carolyn H. Livingston, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students

Carleton stands ready to support community members who may find themselves detained or blocked from re-entering the country while participating in college-sponsored activities. If you find yourself in such a situation, we urge you, as a first step, to contact one or all of the following college offices:

• 24-hour Emergency Line: 507-222-4444
• Dean of Students Office: 507-222-4075
• Office of International Student Life (ISL): 507-222-4013
• President’s Office: 507-222-5597

The college has engaged the firm of FaegreBakerDaniels to represent Carleton in this and other matters.  Faegre has a team of attorneys who specialize in immigration law.  In the sort of emergency situation described above, the college will to seek counsel on your situation.  The college will also reimburse emergency costs (lodging, meals, etc.) that you must incur if you are detained while participating in a college-sponsored activity and will offer additional support, as needed and appropriate.  Because it is impossible to know in advance all the various circumstances that could arise, the college must retain some flexibility in how it will respond.

Despite the swirling political winds, there are core values to which Carleton subscribes. These do not change:

• Our commitment to international education remains unwavering.
• We have students, faculty, and staff at Carleton from around the world, and we are deeply committed to continuing to welcome these individuals into the fabric of Carleton. They are wanted and valued here.
• We also strongly encourage all our students to go out into the broader world to live and study, and we expect that when they do so, they can safely return to the United States.
• We actively recruit faculty and students from across the globe. We intend to keep doing this.
• Our commitment is resolute to welcome and treat all people with dignity and respect, regardless of their religion, national origin, or citizenship. We steadfastly oppose discrimination on these grounds, as well as on other grounds detailed in College policies.
• We believe that academic freedom and the pursuit of knowledge are enhanced by the free flow of ideas and scholars across international borders. Therefore, we shall continue to act consistently with this goal.

These values are guiding stars by which Carleton seeks to accomplish its education mission, and by which we support one another in our community. That will continue to be the case for our college.

• We will support your enrollment as a DACA student.
• We will continue to provide you with your full financial aid package.
• In the event that your work authorization is not renewed, Carleton will provide extra funding, such that the college will make up for what would have been your summer student employment contribution and student employment during the academic year.
• If you encounter a situation where you require emergency funding even beyond your financial aid award, you may submit a request to cover these additional expenses to the Dean of Students Office.
• Beyond financial support, we are also eager to provide assistance through internal resources that you may have already utilized, such as Student Health and Counseling, the Office of Intercultural and International Life, the Gender and Sexuality Center, among others.
• We will help connect you—through a dedicated website and other means—to non-campus resources, such as immigration law clinics and community centers, and DACA-focused initiatives.   

The college statement of non-discrimination states, “Equal opportunity for all is an essential part of Carleton’s recognition that diversity expands the Carleton community’s intellectual horizons and enriches the teaching, working, living and learning environment.  Carleton College is committed to the principle that its educational facilities, activities and employment opportunities shall be offered without regard to race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, marital status, veteran status, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, status with regard to public assistance, disability or age.  Carleton College prohibits discrimination against or harassment of any student, applicant, visitor or employee because of race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, marital status, veteran status, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, status with regard to public assistance, disability or age.”

Yes, FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Passed by Congress in 1974, the Act grants four specific rights to the student:

• the right to see the information that the institution is keeping on the student
• the right to seek amendment to those records and, in certain cases, append a statement to the record
• the right to consent to disclosure of his/her records
• the right to file a complaint with the FERPA Office in Washington

Carleton's Policy Regarding Student Records

Consistent with FERPA, Carleton’s general rule is not to disclose a student’s personal information to anyone outside the college without the student’s prior written consent, unless obligated to do so by court-ordered subpoena.  The only information that may be freely disclosed is directory information.

Consistent with past practice and commitment to student privacy, we will only share information about individual students when obligated to do so by court-ordered subpoena.

Yes. Students can request that the college not release any directory information about themselves.  To suppress their directory information, students need to complete and submit this form.      

Undocumented students are eligible for Carleton-based grants and loans, but they are not eligible for federal financial aid. Students with DACA status are considered among all other legal permanent residents and U.S. citizens and are eligible for Carleton grants, loans, and work.

Each year we consider applications from students living in the United States without documentation of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency.  Undocumented students should follow the same admissions application procedures as U.S. citizens and permanent residents who attend high school in the U.S.  

Should Congress not act to protect DACA students by March 5, 2018, Carleton will be obliged to comply with the law, which means returning to the kinds of recruitment and support activities we had in place prior to the institution of this program. These include recruiting students without inquiring about immigration status and treating undocumented students as international students for financial aid purposes.

Yes, students may request funding through the Dean of Student’s emergency fund.

Yes, as long as students are able to supply the appropriate documentation to complete the I-9 form, they are able to be employed on campus.  It is the student's responsibility to get the required employment authorization document.  It is also the student's responsibility to make sure they present a new document when their current document expires. The last page of the I-9 form lists what documents are considered appropriate. Please contact Human Resources at hr@carleton.edu or 507-222-7471 with questions regarding employment on campus.

DACA students are taxed as resident aliens for U.S. tax purposes, which is similar to U.S. citizens.  Federal and Minnesota state taxes will be withheld.  If DACA students work during break periods, they will also have FICA tax (Social Security and Medicare) withheld.

DACA students who earned income during a calendar year while in valid DACA status are required to file taxes just like U.S. citizens.  The annual tax-filing deadline is April 15.  Specific DACA tax-filing resources can be found at United We Dream.

Following the September 5, 2017 rescission of the DACA program by the Trump Administration, it is recommended, with an abundance of caution that any DACA students who are currently overseas and have valid travel documents should return to the United States as soon as possible.  DACA students should not consider studying abroad at this time, since their ability to reenter the U.S. is considered too uncertain.  The USCIS website states that they will not accept any new Advanced Parole (Form I-131) travel authorization applications, and all pending advanced parole applications will be closed without approval.

For DACA students, we are urging consultation with staff in Off-Campus Studies, the Office of Intercultural and International Life (OIIL), or the Dean of Students Office before committing to travel outside the country.

If you have concerns about upcoming travel, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the Dean of Students Office, the Office of Intercultural and International Life (OIIL), or Off-Campus Studies.

Anyone in our community with questions about immigration issues or additional support in coping with related concerns is encouraged to contact the following resources:

Students

Office of the Dean of Students (507-222-4075)
The Office of Intercultural and International Life (507-222-4014)
Student Health and Counseling (507-222-4080)

Faculty

Office of the Dean of the College (507-222-4303)

Staff

Human Resources (507-222-7471

• Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) DACA Rescission Memo dated 9/15/2017
• DHS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) DACA
• DHS Fact Sheet: Rescission of DACA
• National Immigration Law Center
• Helpline for legal questions related to DACA (651) 287-3715
• Updated DACA Application
• DACA Population Datasets
• Immigration Law Center of Minnesota
• The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota
• U.S. Department of Education-Scholarships Available to Undocumented Students
• Immigration Legal Resource Center
• DACA Renewal Checklist

• General Advice for DACA and Undocumented students–Career Center
• Office of Intercultural and International Life
• Admissions
  Application Information for students living in the United States without documentation of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency.