Swarthmore FLI Council

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swarthmore's first-gen low-income council

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DACA Resources (WIP)

The purpose of this page is to highlight resources for DACA and/or undocumented students attending Swarthmore. All information is subject to change, and students should consult with Dean Jennifer Marks-Gold if they have any further questions regarding support available. This information was sourced from ImmigrantsRising, an excellent place to find more resources for undocumented students.

Background

On December 2nd, 2016 Swarthmore declared itself a sanctuary campus following tremendous effort by both students and faculty. As part of this initial announcement, the college announced the following policies 

  • The College will not voluntarily share student information with immigration enforcement officials;
  • The College will not voluntarily grant access to College property to immigration enforcement officials;
  • The College will not support the enforcement actions of immigration officials on campus. Public Safety will continue to refrain from inquiring about or recording the immigration status of community members; 
  • The College is not enrolled in “e-verify” and will not do so; and 
  • The College does not make housing decisions based on immigration status and will not do so. 

The college also convened a Sanctuary Campus Working Group which unveiled their final report on August 31st, 2017. It’s main findings were that

  •  The college has largely addressed the points raised in the student petition and the faculty resolution, and our recommendations (see below) identify gaps in support services and resources.

  • The college is creating a referral list of legal support options for students; we recommend further development in this area.

  • DACA and undocumented students can receive financial support from the college through the Dean’s Discretionary Fund, as well as other support such as possible housing when classes are not in session.

  • The Office of International Student Services provides additional advice, services, and programming for DACA and undocumented students.

  • We provide guidelines for students interacting with both Swarthmore College Public Safety and Swarthmore Borough Police; we also highlight important aspects of the college’s relationship with local law enforcement.

  •  After examining current practices with respect to data sharing and privacy, we are confident that the college is not exposing students to undue risk.

As part of this report, two other documents were created/sourced. 

As part of the Student Emergency Fund, Swarthmore will cover costs related to renewing DACA. This money does not have to be repaid. Access the 2022-2023 Emergency Funding Application here.

Students without DACA are ineligible for campus jobs, but are eligible to work as independent contractors. In short, independent contractors are self-employed workers who are able to earn a living using an ITIN or SSN. Learn more about obtaining an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) here. Students can work as independent contractors with ParkerDewey, a platform that provides micro-internships for students. Learn more about Career Services’ partnership with ParkerDewey here.

Study abroad may be possible in certain circumstances, but there are strict requirements and extensive planning may be required. Learn more about Advanced Parole (AP) here. Do not hesitate to contact Dean Jennifer Marks-Gold for further information.