DACA - Learning Abroad - The University of Utah

President Trump recently announced the phase out of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. The phase out of the program will occur over the next two and a half years. The Department of Homeland Security will no longer accept renewals of DACA status after October 5, 2017. This decision leaves the status of the DACA program in the hands of Congress. DACA was introduced by the Executive Order of President Obama in 2012 to protect qualifying individuals who came to the United States as children and lacked lawful status. It allowed those individuals protection from deportation, the ability to enroll in college, work legally, obtain a driver’s licenses, and receive authorization to travel abroad (“advance parole”). Since that time, nearly 800,000 young people have benefited from the DACA program. There are over 10,000 DACA recipients in the state of Utah.

Learning Abroad has always and will continue to support undocumented students (with or without DACA). Over the years, we have worked closely with these students to help them access and participate in Learning Abroad Programs as part of their University of Utah education. In an effort to transparently help undocumented and DACAmented students understand how participating in Learning Abroad Programs may impact them, we would like to make the University community aware of the following international travel advisories. All DACA students are advised to contact the Dream Center or an immigration attorney immediately to discuss how international travel may impact them.

Undocumented students without DACA-
- The U.S. government is not accepting new applications for DACA.
- We advise you NOT to travel outside of the continental United States.
Students who currently have DACA- Your ability to travel will depend on several factors.
- If your advance parole document was approved before September 5, 2017 and is unexpired- The advance parole document remains valid. However, upon entry to the United States, Customs and Border Protection Officers have full discretion to determine whether your entry is permissible. Even with a valid, unexpired advance parole document, CBP officers could prevent your reentry to the United States. Learning Abroad recommends that you determine what you will do if you are denied re-entry to the U.S. You are advised to contact the Dream Center or an immigration attorney to discuss your options.
- If your advanced parole application is pending- The U.S. government will deny your application and refund your filing fee. You are advised NOT to travel outside of the continental United States.
- If you have not applied for advanced parole- The U.S. government is not accepting new applications for advanced parole. We advise you NOT to travel outside of the continental United States.

For information about domestic travel conditions, please contact the Dream Center at 801-581-3470.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available. If you have questions or need support, please do not hesitate to contact the Dream Center at dream@utah.edu or 801-581-3470 or Learning Abroad at learningabroad@utah.edu or 801-581-5849. We value the contributions of undocumented and DACAmented students, and we will continue to support them moving forward.