September 17, 2017
Governor Jerry Brown
Attorney General Xavier Becerra
UC President Janet Napolitano
Re: Request for an Injunction to prevent cancellation of Advance Parole applications
Dear Governor Brown, Attorney General Becerra and UC President Napolitano,
The termination of DACA by the Trump administration has jeopardized our Winter 2017 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program, and I hereby respectfully request your assistance on behalf of the 70 DACA participants in our program that have applied since June 2017 for Advance Parole (AP) approval.
Notwithstanding that DACA’s termination is effective on March 5, 2018, due to the federal government’s capricious decision to terminate DACA on September 5, 2017, the U.S. Homeland Security Administration immediately cancelled DACA’s Advance Parole provision and published in their FAQ’s that all pending AP applications will not be considered, and that the $575 fees would be reimbursed.
Since the State of California and the University of California have filed lawsuits to oppose the termination of DACA, I plea that you file a cause of action with the court, to order an injunction against the Trump administration on behalf of our participants.
As of today, none of our 70 participants have received written cancellation of their applications for AP nor received their refunds.
Thus, an injunction could prevent the hardship and emotional suffering caused upon this group of Dreamers that have complied with all the AP requirements established, and who represent a constituency directly affected by the discriminatory and prejudiced action of the federal government.
Our California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program has offered to over 160 Dreamers the opportunity to return to their birthplace, conduct ethnographic research on their family’s origins and migration, attend classes and re-enter the U.S. lawfully. To wit, 100% of all 160 of our participants received AP approval for the 6 travel-study programs that we have organized since 2014.
I trust that you will give full consideration to our request and pray that you agree upon its merits.
Respectfully yours,
Professor Armando Vazquez-Ramos, President and CEO
The California-Mexico Studies Center (CMSC)
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