Division of Student Affairs

Dean of Students

Resources for Undocumented Students

DACA Update

On September 5, President Trump’s administration announced their decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA). The university recommends the following steps for students with DACA status:

  • Consult with an immigration lawyer to review your legal options, including whether you may qualify for a different immigration status. The Minnesota Immigrant and Refugee Rights Helpline, https://www.ilcm.org/latest-news/daca-helpline/, or Immigration Law Help may be helpful resources. 
  • Check your DACA paperwork. If your DACA status and employment authorization is set to expire prior to March 5, 2018, you may apply for renewal before October 5, 2017. Properly completed renewal applications must be received and accepted by USCIS before October 5, 2017 to be considered. USCIS will reject all requests to renew DACA and associated applications for EADs filed after October 5, 2017.
  • DO NOT travel outside of the United States. 

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Student Affairs office by email or phone (651-962-6120).

DACA Helpline

The Immigration Law Center of Minnesota is providing a helpline for legal questions related to DACA. 

Click here for hours.

CALL: 651-287-3715

St. Thomas strives to maintain a welcoming, vibrant and diverse community that respects and supports the dignity and well-being of every member. We believe a diverse, supportive and caring community will best enable our students to learn and grow into morally responsible leaders who will advance the common good.

Consistent with our mission, convictions and Catholic identity, we invite prospective students to join our community based on their commitment to our mission and convictions, personal qualities, skills and experience, and potential to contribute to our community and the common good. Prospective students born outside the United States are welcome to apply, regardless of immigration status.

St. Thomas seeks to provide every member of our community with the personal attention and support they need to thrive. We are committed to supporting undocumented students and students with undocumented family members, who may face unique challenges. The following resources may be helpful to these members of the St. Thomas community.

Immigration Law Center of Minnesota

Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is a nonprofit agency that provides immigration legal assistance to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota. ILCM also works to educate Minnesota communities and professionals about immigration matters, and advocates for state and federal policies which respect the universal human rights of immigrants.

WEBSITE

Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC)

E4FC offers numerous resources for undocumented immigrants, students in particular, including a Dreamer Intake Form that E4FC staff review to identify potential immigration remedies, scholarships lists, and life after college guides. They describe their core strategies as: providing life-changing financial support that enables undocumented young people to overcome systemic barriers, develop partnerships with key educational institutions to enhance their support for undocumented students, and identify promising practices that will embolden other educational institutions, equip undocumented young people with the information and resources needed to navigate life, make informed decisions, and pursue educational and career goals, develop the leadership capacity of undocumented young people through career training, mentorship, professional development, and opportunities to educate and empower the undocumented community, and train undocumented young people to reclaim and share personal stories in order to heal, strengthen community bonds, transform hearts and minds, and advance policy legislation.

 

WEBSITE

ImmigrationLawHelp.org

ImmigrationLawHelp.org is a searchable online directory of over 940 free or low-cost nonprofit immigration legal services providers in all 50 states. Only nonprofits that are BIA recognized or have attorneys on staff are included in the directory. Users can search ImmigrationLawHelp.org by state, county, or detention facility. Users can also refine their search by types and areas of legal assistance provided, populations served, languages spoken, other areas of legal assistance, and non-legal services provided. ImmigrationLawHelp.org was developed by the Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net with support from the Four Freedoms Fund.

WEBSITE

Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit resource center that provides immigration legal trainings, technical assistance, and educational materials, and engages in advocacy and immigrant civic engagement to advance immigrant rights.

WEBSITE

Family Preparedness Plan:

https://www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/resources/family_preparedness_plan.pdf

 
Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now:

https://www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/resources/kyr_two_pager.pdf (English)

https://www.ilrc.org/sites/default/files/resources/kyr_spanish_two_pager_final.pdf (Spanish)

 

 

 

 

National Immigration Law Center

Established in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the leading organizations in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of low-income immigrants.

WEBSITE

National Immigration Law Center Resources

DACA
http://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/

Health Care Issues
http://www.nilc.org/issues/health-care/

Know Your Rights
http://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Rights-No-Matter-Who-Is-Pres-2016-11-10.pdf

Rights During Immigration Raids
http://www.nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights/raids/

National Immigration Project

For 45 years, the National Immigration Project has promoted justice and equality of treatment in all areas of immigration law, the criminal justice system, and social policies related to immigration. Our success is built upon a foundation of nationwide members and supporters, including attorneys, law students, judges, jailhouse lawyers, advocates, community organizations, and all individuals seeking to defend and expand the rights of immigrants in the U.S.

WEBSITE

Tools To Defend Your Rights:

You Have Rights
https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/2016_Jan_YHR_Eng.pdf (English)

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/2016_Jan_YHR_Spa.pdf (Spanish)

 

What to Do if Immigration/Police Come to Your Door
https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/2016_Jan_KYR_Eng.pdf (English)

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/2016_Jan_KYR_Spa.pdf  (Spanish)

 

How Arrests and Convictions Separate Families

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/guide-arrest-convicts-english.pdf (English)

 

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/guide-arrest-convicts-spanish.pdf (Spanish)

 

How to Protect You and Your Family During Immigration Raids

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/know-your-rights-eng-casa-maryland.pdf (English)

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/know-your-rights-espanol.pdf (Spanish)

 

Know Your Rights Card

https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/PDFs/community/2016_Jan_KYR_OneSheet_Eng.pdf (Bilingual)

 

 

 

 

United We Dream

United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation. Our powerful nonpartisan network is made up of over 100,000 immigrant youth and allies and 55 affiliate organizations in 26 states. We organize and advocate for the dignity and fair treatment of immigrant youth and families, regardless of immigration status.

WEBSITE

To find a private immigration attorney to help you with your case, visit:
AILA's Immigration Lawyer Search (http://www.ailalawyer.com/)
or
National Immigration Project's Lawyer Referral Directory (https://nationalimmigrationproject.org/find.html)

Minnesota Dream Act

The MN Dream Act (also known as The Prosperity Act) was introduced by Senator Sandra Pappas (SF723) and Representative Carlos Mariani (HF875) and was included in the omnibus Higher Education bill passed by the 2013 Minnesota Legislature and signed into law by Governor Dayton on May 23, 2013.

WEBSITE

Center for Online Education

College Help for Undocumented Students

There are approximately 1.7 million undocumented students under the age of 18 in the United States, many of whom have spent most of their lives in the country after immigrating with their parents at an early age. Though they don’t have a passport, these kids attend school, learned English as their primary language and consider themselves Americans. Each year, more than 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from high school and many hope to study at an American college or university.

WEBSITE

Additional Information & Resources

Immigration related resources and information provided by the Interprofessional Center for Counseling and Legal Services at the University of St. Thomas.

Their Immigration Law Practice Group primarily takes cases referred by The Advocates for Human Rights.

 WEBSITE