Welcome
AB 540 Ally Training Project
Friday, October 26, 2012
AB 540 Training Agenda

Introductions

Self Administered Knowledge Inventory

Ground Rules

Immigration Experiential

AB 540 Overview

California Dream Act

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

AB 540 Student Panel Video

Policy/Practice Barriers and Challenges

AB 540 Student Panel

Becoming an Ally

Evaluation & Adjourn
AB 540 Ally Training Project

Introductions
 Aimee Arreygue
 Claudia Cotoas
 Rosalina
Camacho
 Maria Ramirez
 Christopher Warren

Self Administered Knowledge Inventory
Goals
CSULB aims to achieve greater distinction in four areas:
student success, academic quality, service excellence and
campus environment
 Improve
immigrant student success
 Professional development project
AB 540 Ally Training Project
Objectives
Create a welcoming and supportive campus
environment for immigrant students, thus assisting their
integration into campus life
 Encourage faculty and staff knowledge and
effectiveness about the needs, concerns, and issues of
undocumented (unprotected) immigrant students and
their families
 Educate faculty and staff about relevant immigration
laws impacting students and related student issues and
challenges

Ground Rules
 What
do you need to feel safe?
Immigration Experiential
Purpose is to get in touch with our conceptions about the
undocumented and to “step into their shoes”
 Count off and Gather in small groups
 Divide your time equally
 Share your thoughts and feelings with your group about
the assigned scenario

AB 540 Overview
What is AB 540?
 What is the history of AB 540?
 Why is the affidavit required?
 Will US immigration know where to find a student
 How will The California Dream Act (AB 130/131) be
implemented and how can our campuses prepare for this
process?
 What is Deferred Action and how will it impact AB 540
students?

AB 540 Overview (cont’d)
Provides support for some, but not all unprotected
immigrant students
 Came to US at an early age
 Raised in US
 Often do not find out until high school graduation that
they are undocumented
 Some are not covered as AB 540 students because of the
requirements

Who is eligible?


“Any student, except a person in nonimmigrant status, who
meets the specific requirements shall be exempt from
paying nonresident tuition at all public colleges and
universities in California.”
What does nonimmigrant status mean?
 Current nonimmigrant visa holders are not eligible for
this tuition exemption: Tourist – F visas and Student – B
visa
 Some expired visa holders who are “out of status” , may
not be eligible for AB 540
 Students qualified for AB 540 will not be classified as
California residents.
What are the specific
requirements?
Attended a California high school for 3 or more years
 Graduated from a California high school or attained the
equivalent of a high school diploma (Passed the GED or
California High School Proficiency Examination)
 Register or be currently enrolled in 1 of the 3 state
institutions of higher learning
 File an affidavit with the institution stating that he/she has
applied to legalize his/her status or will do so as soon as
eligible to do so

What about the
AB 540 affidavit?
Is required by the college where the student will be
attending
 States that the student will adjust his/her status, as soon as
eligible to do so
 Students are not required to submit a new affidavit when
there is continuous enrollment
 Information on the affidavit is kept confidential, as
required by law. Immigration has no access to student
information.

Exemption Request

California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request
 http://www.csulb.edu/depts/enrollment/forms/
Impact?

How else are undocumented students
impacted by their status?
Not eligible for federal financial aid programs and federally
funded programs
 No drivers license
 No SSN, therefore limited in qualifying for anything that
requires this form of identification (ID)
 No work authorization, no paid internships & fellowships
 Not eligible for some careers when licensure/back ground
checks are required
 Cannot travel when official ID is required
 Can’t work after graduation

Impact?

How else are undocumented students impacted by
their status?
Can receive private, state administered scholarships and
private grants
 Can pay taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification
Number (ITIN) rather than SSN
 Can use ITIN, Matricula (Mexican ID), Student ID on
campus
 Are eligible for all other campus services
 Can go to graduate school

The California Dream Act of 2011

AB 130 – Campus Administered Scholarships

AB 131 – State Institutional Student Financial Aid
AB 130 at a Glance
Chartered July 7, 2011
 Become effective January 1, 2012
 All CSU, UC, and CCC administered scholarships are
available to AB 540 students
 Only exception are donor specified recipient
requirements for scholarships

AB 131 at a Glance (cont’d)
Chartered on October 8, 2011
 Becomes effective on January 1, 2013
 Allows students who meet AB 540 criteria to apply for and
receive State institutional grants, like the State University
Grant, Educational Opportunity Program and Services, fee
waivers and the University of California Grants. CCC
students can apply for and receive Board of Governors fee
waivers.

AB 131 Eligibility
Males must register with Selective Service
 Dependent students must submit parental financial
information (taxes) to apply
 Incoming students are eligible for all forms of state student
financial aid, including Cal-Grants, EOP, and BOG Waiver
 Current students will not have access to Cal-Grants
 Application is available at: https://dream.csac.ca.gov

Political and Legal Context
Context is a constant reminder to students and their
families
 Policies and practices fluctuate with the economic and
political climate and on going economic need for low
wage immigrant labor
 Historically targeted to specific immigrant groups, i.e.,
men, Mexicans, Japanese, Chinese, etc.
 Virtually every group has come to find a “better life in
the USA”

Deferred Action and Work
Authorization





Announced June 15, 2012 by the Secretary of Homeland
Security as a presidential order; not a law
Expanded to include some DREAMers
Delays deportation for those in the process
Discretion is vital
Websites : www.uscis.gov and www.ice.gov
What is Deferred Action Status?





A form of administrative immigration relief granted
by DHS for a two-year period (may be renewable)
Allows noncitizens to remain in the U.S. temporarily
Permits the person to apply for an employment
authorization document (“work permit”) and social
security card
A person will not accrue “unlawful presence” while in
deferred action status
Other benefits like driver’s licenses and professional
licensure may become available to those that hold a
work permit and social security card.
Deferred Action Eligibility

Age must be over 15* and under 31 as of June 15, 2012

Continuous Presence



Came to the U.S. before age 16

Lived in the U.S. continuously from June 15, 2007 to the date of application

“Brief, innocent, and casual departures” are ok
Education or Military Service (at least one of the following):

You are currently in school (public or private- middle school, high school,
college, university, vocational training or GED programs)

You have a high school diploma or a GED

You were honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard or Armed Forces
Criminal History Has
not been convicted of any of the following:

A felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors

DHS does not consider you: A public safety threat or a national security threat
Deferred Action FAQs

How do people apply for DACA?

Visit www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals for the DACA
application form, the work permit application form, and instructions.


How can I help students connect to resources to learn
more about the deferred action process?

Lawyers are very important but they will charge

Community based programs for guidance and free legal advice
What are the fees associated with Deferred Action and are
there fee waivers?

$380 for work permit application

$85 for biometrics

No fee waiver, but you can ask for a fee exemption (see website for eligibility)
AB 540, AB 130 & 131 and
Deferred Action
AB 540
 Allows a CA high school
graduate the privilege of
paying in state tuition
regardless of immigration
status.
AB 130&131
 Allows an undocumented
AB 540 student access to
some types of CA financial
aid and scholarships.
Deferred Action
 Allows some undocumented
youth who are “in school”
or who have a high school
equivalency to receive a
temporary protected status
and be eligible to work
and travel.
 Other opportunities for
driving privileges,
professional licensure, and
credentialing may expand
Questions
What is AB 540?
 What is the history of AB 540?
 Why is the affidavit required?
 Will US immigration know where to find a
student after enrolling under AB 540?
 How do students apply for Deferred Action?
 Burning Q & A?

Effective Mentoring Of
Unprotected Students
Financial needs are paramount
 Campus scholarships and state financial aid is available,
yet some scholarships require US citizenship or legal
residency
 Challenge these requirements
 Students should speak with advisor about scholarships and
private grants
 Encourage students to apply for scholarships and financial
aid
 Center for Scholarship Information is a resource

Effective Mentoring Of
Unprotected Students
Apply for an ITIN
 Leave the SSN on the application blank
 Explain residency on the application
 Submit the Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request
(Affidavit) after CSULB admissions letter arrives
 There is a tuition installment plan

Effective Mentoring Of
Unprotected Students
Although they cannot get paid for work, relevant, rigorous
work experience is important for their future prospects
 Encourage students to apply for unpaid internships
 Help students find alternatives internships when
requirements present challenges
 Career Development Center is a resource

Effective Mentoring Of
Unprotected Students

Are AB 540 Students Eligible for Federal Financial Aid?
 If a student filed an application with USCIS, the student
may already be eligible for resident fee status and also to
receive financial aid. Students should speak to their
attorney.
 Utilizing any public benefits while undocumented can be
grounds for automatic deportation the day the person is
able to adjust his/her immigration status
Effective Mentoring Of
Unprotected Students
Do not use a false SSN
 Do not complete a FAFSA
 Do not lie on any application
 Do not apply for a public benefit for which the person is
not entitled
 Never claim to be a USA citizen
 File federal and state taxes as appropriate

Policy/Practice Barriers and
Challenges
Identify the campus issues discussed by the students
 Suggest possible resolutions to the issues
 Identify policies/practices that have already changed, those
that need to change
 Identify strategies that create a safe and welcoming
student advising environment
 Identify the do’s and don’ts in advising

AB 540 Policy/Practice Barriers
and Challenges
Paying for college is a paramount issue
 A personal relationship with faculty/staff can motivate
students to succeed
 Students learn about AB 540 informally. Few learn it from
a counselor
 Student identification policies can adversely impact
undocumented students if alternative ID is not accepted
 Internships that require licensure or background checks
are not available, so alternatives are needed

AB Policy/Practice Barriers and
Challenges (cont’d)
AB 540 students don’t want pity; they want faculty/staff to
do something to positively impact their success
 Faculty and staff should understand what it means to be an
AB 540 student
 You can open wounds when you are ill informed about AB
540, so keep alternatives in mind when determining class
requirements
 Students want to reveal, but it has to be safe

AB 540 Policy/Practice Barriers
and Challenges
Faculty/staff need to learn what is going on with their
students
 The community political climate regarding immigration
impacts AB 540 students and acerbates their challenges
 When asked a question and you do not know the answer,
don’t make one up. It is better to take the time to get the
correct answer so their immigration status is not
compromised

Break
10-minute Break
Refreshments
Student Panel
 Name, birth country, age at which arrived in US
 Major, career dream
 How the student has experienced being
undocumented
 What the student would like to see in an Ally
 Brief
Q & A at the conclusion of the Panel
Process
Cultural Proficiency is a Process
Becoming an Ally is a Process- a Journey
Cultural
Destructiveness
Cultural
Incapacity
Cultural
Proficiency
Cultural
Blindness
Cultural
Pre-competence
AB 540 Ally Training Project

What is an Ally?

In your small group discuss and then present some of the
following topics or scenarios to the large group, asking the
question, “How would an Ally handle the situation?” Consider
the following:





Risks and Benefits of Becoming an Ally
Effective Ally Strategies
A Culturally Proficient Ally
Creating an Inclusive Climate
Creating alternative practices to assist students to meet academic
prerequisites when students are excluded by law from regular
participation or placed in a high risk situation
Displaying the
AB 540 Ally Decal


The decal should be displayed in an area belonging
solely to the individual who has received it. This will
alleviate confusion for a student entering the office at
large and allow them to confidently reveal their status
to an ally.
Ally Contract
Questions and Evaluation

Burning Q & A

Evaluation
Thank You New Champions
Welcome to the Team!
Gloria Inzunza-Franco
(562) 985-4202
Jamie Johnson
(562) 985-7557
gloria.inzunza-franco@csulb.edu
james.johnson2@csulb.edu
Jesse Rodriguez, Ed.D.
(562) 381-5016
Julie Weise, Ph.D.
(562) 985-4703
jesse.rodriguez02@csulb.edu
julie.weise@csulb.edu
Questions? Call
Elena Macias, Ph.D. (562) 985-8816