WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville City Council is expected to declare its support Tuesday of a national program that allows undocumented students a temporary reprieve from deportation.
On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump announced that he would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which affects an estimated 787,580 people.
The DACA program, created by President Barack Obama in 2012, allows people who immigrated illegally with their parents before their 16th birthday, and who have a clear criminal record, to be protected from deportation and obtain a work permit.
Under Trump’s plan, people already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire. If that happens before March 5, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5.
According to a report by Tamara Vides, assistant to the city manager, city staff and council members have been working with nonprofit organizations to reach out to local DACA recipients to let them know about the limited timeframe to renew their permits.
A website was also created, www.weareheretostayscc.org, to provide resources to DACA recipients.
The resolution, on the council’s consent agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, declares Watsonville a “Dreamers City,” and urges Trump and other legislators to continue and codify the DACA program.
A free clinic on how to renew DACA permits will take place Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cabrillo College’s Watsonville Center, 318 Union St., Room A160.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the council will consider declaring the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The day is meant to celebrate the region’s American Indian and Indigenous community. It coincides with Columbus Day, a day that marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492.
In protest to the treatment of the indigenous populations during European colonization, many cities across the nation have recently replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including Los Angeles.
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The Watsonville City Council will meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 275 Main St., fourth floor. The agenda can be found at tinyurl.com/y7oox75c.
