Dear Campus Community,
Last week I traveled with Boe Mendewala to Washington, D.C., to urge members of Congress to pursue a clean Dream Act to protect the nearly 600 undocumented students at UC Merced and thousands more throughout the nation. Boe, an undocumented student from India pursuing her Ph.D. in physics at UC Merced, was a compelling spokesperson, and I have no doubt she made a significant impact on everyone she interacted with during our trip.
While we were making our rounds on Capitol Hill, news was breaking that cast this issue into stark relief. While unconfirmed, the reports of raids being planned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest undocumented individuals in Northern California has renewed fear and anxiety among our undocumented students and staff, those from mixed-status families, and those who have friends and family members who are undocumented.
Although we have not been able to confirm the reports of raids, it is important that undocumented immigrants — and all who support them — are aware of their rights as well as the resources available to them. The University of California provides an updated page of Information on Immigration, as well as an FAQ on the possibility of federal immigration enforcement actions on university property.
On campus, our Services for Undocumented Students team is committed to empowering undocumented students to pursue their academic and personal dreams, and also offers resources for those who want to be better allies for those students. If you are an undocumented student, please consider attending their Spring Kickoff this week.
All undocumented UC students, staff members, and their families also have access to free legal services via the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. Our attorney for UC Merced is Cesar Montoya, and he can be reached at cesar.ucimm@law.ucdavis.edu or (530) 574-9531. You may also schedule appointments with Cesar via his calendar: https://cesarucimm.youcanbook.me.
I firmly believe that every single one of our students, staff and faculty is part of our Bobcat family at UC Merced. You all deserve to be here, and you have all earned the opportunity to pursue your personal, academic and professional dreams.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Leland
Chancellor
