August 31, 2017
University President Drew Faust recently sent a letter to President Trump urging him to continue the DACA Program and to vigorously defend it in federal courts. In her letter President Faust writes: “At Harvard and other institutions of higher education across the country, DACA has made it possible for talented and motivated students to pursue their education and explore meaningful ways of contributing to our communities and economy.”
The University will continue to advocate for the continuance of DACA and will continue to support DACA and undocumented students with resources needed to thrive in their academic endeavors at Harvard and beyond. In that context, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic at Harvard Law School extends the following guidance to individuals concerned about DACA status:
- Contact the Harvard Representation Initiative (HRI) at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical (HIRC) Program to set up a consultation. HRI has a full‐time attorney and a part‐time social worker available to DACAmented and undocumented students. They also offer walk‐in hours for legal consultations every day from 3:00 to 4:30 and social work consultations Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30. The Clinic is located at 6 Everett St., 3rd Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Or you can make an appointment for a consultation with Nilce Maldonado at 617‐495‐6648 or nmaldonado@law.harvard.edu.
- If you have DACA it is strongly advised that you consult with HRI before making plans to leave the United States at this time. If you are currently outside the United States we advise that you consider returning immediately.
- For students in Harvard College, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is available to assist and to serve as a point of contact to help students navigate support services. Katie Derzon is the Fellow for Undocumented Students and can be contacted at 617‐496‐4731 or at kderzon@fas.harvard.edu. For students in the graduate and professional schools, please reach out to your deans of students for support.
- Your local financial aid office may be able to assist undocumented or DACA students who need additional financial assistance, including assistance with immigration application fees. Please reach out to your local Financial Aid advisor for more information on how they may be able to assist you.
- The Harvard Representation Initiative has established a 24/7 Hotline for DACA and undocumented members of the community to call in case of The Hotline number is +1‐857‐242‐6755. Calls to the Hotline will be directed to the on‐call HIRC attorney, who can provide legal counsel and other assistance on time‐sensitive matters. If you have questions or concerns that are not time‐sensitive, please contact Nilce Maldonado at 617‐495‐6648 to arrange an appointment.
Further, Harvard University continues its commitment to protect students’ personal information, including immigration status. The Harvard University Police Department does not inquire about immigration status and is not involved in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Nor will the University voluntarily share information on the immigration status of undocumented students. Our goal is to assure students that they are able to seek necessary services for their health and well‐being regardless of their immigration status. For general information about resources available to DACAmented and undocumented students please visit the following sites: https://undocumented.harvard.edu/frequently-asked-questions or HIRC at https://harvardimmigrationclinic.wordpress.com/daca‐immigration‐questions/