Dreamers in Limbo: White House Rescinds DACA
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September, 2017 lehmanmeridian.squarespace.com Bronx, New York Dreamers in Limbo: White House Rescinds DACA New Yorkers prepare to protest the White House’s DACA ruling. Photo courtesy of Eric Soucy. [Page 3] NEWS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LIFESTYLE Lehman Community Disagrees over Bronxites’ Love-Hate Relationship Campus Socialists Raise Students’ Puerto Rico’s Bid for Statehood with Cardi B Political Consciousness [Page 4] [Page 8] [Page 12] 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West Student Life Building Room 108 Bronx, NY 10468 BUILD YOUR PORTFOLIO WITH US Be part of our team of reporters, writers, photographers, videographers, and artists. Send your sample writing, photography, and/or art to our email, or come find us in our office at the Student Life Buliding Room 108 the staff EILEEN SEPULVEDA LEONEL HENRIQUEZ ANGEL MINDANAO EDITOR IN CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR OFFICE MANAGER ZOE FANZO ELISSA FANZO JENNIFER MACKENZIE PRINT PRODUCER/WEB DESIGNER COPY EDITOR FACULTY ADVISOR THOMAS BEHNKE JUAN VASQUEZ LEAH LICEAGA NEWS EDITOR ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR LIFESTYLE EDITOR WRITERS: THOMAS BEHNKE, ZOE FANZO, SHAIANN FRAZIER, LEONEL HENRIQUEZ, JOREL LONESOME, ANGEL MINDANAO, ZAYNA PALMER, JUAN VASQUEZ Questions? Comments? Write us at [email protected] Check out our website: lehmanmeridian.squarespace.com GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY The Meridian reserves the right to edit articles and letters as the editor(s) see fit. The views expressed in editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Meridian staff. 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News 3 Dreamers in Limbo: White House Rescinds DACA By Thomas Behnke On Sept. 5, the White House issued a President Obama in 2012, allowed Institution, nearly three-quarters statement through Attorney General undocumented immigrant minors of DACA applicants have lived in Jeff Sessions that it was formally to receive two-year renewable the United States for at least ten rescinding the Deferred Action deferments against deportation years and nearly one-third were for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the ability to apply for a work age five or younger at arrival. The program. The policy, introduced by permit. According to the Brookings decision to terminate the program is expected to impact up to 800,000 people nationwide, including DACA applicants and their families. The updated policy ends acceptance of DACA applicants, though the administration has stated that applications and renewals currently being processed will be honored. Deportation procedures have been delayed for six months to give congress time to find an alternative solution to those with DACA status. In a statement released on Sept. 6, Lehman President José Luis Cruz wrote to the Lehman community, “The six-month stay of execution of the DACA program does not do justice to the hard work of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated young people whose undocumented status is simply an artifact of our country’s long-standing role as a beacon of hope. It is now up to Congress to choose national values over political expediency. Extending permanent legal status to our nation’s dreamers is the only path forward.” Polls suggest that national support for DACA transcends party allegiances. Trump administration’s DACA ruling met with Manhattan protest. Photo courtesy of Eric Soucy. While Sessions stated that “the 4 News American people have rightly in tax dollars.” She also criticized rejected” an open border policy, a “Extending the misrepresentation of Dreamers, POLITICO/Morning Consult poll permanent legal saying, “These young people qualify shows 84 percent of Democrats, for DACA because they cleared a 74 percent of Independents, and status to our vetting where there was a very, very 69 percent of Republicans oppose nation’s dreamers intense process of looking into their deporting DACA immigrants, or backgrounds...only then do they Dreamers. is the only path receive DACA status.” On the Lawrence O’Donnell show forward.” The Lehman DREAM Team told on Sept. 5 Senator Kamala Harris, the Meridian, “It’s up to us now (D-Ca.), whose state is home to the – Lehman president to make history.” They added, most Dreamers nationwide, refuted José Luis Cruz “No documents, no problem. We’ll the president’s assertion that ending continue to fight and work hard to DACA would save American jobs. statutorily, we will lose 700,000 jobs better our community. United we “It is well documented that if we in the United States and over the stand; we won’t leave our community rescind DACA and do not pass DACA next ten years we could lose 60 billion alone.” Lehman Community Disagrees over Puerto Rico’s Bid for Statehood By Shaiann Frazier In June of 2017, 97 percent of Puerto becoming a state four times: first in Ricans voted in favor of making “I’m only for 1967. In 2012, 54 percent of the vote the commonwealth of 3.4 million was in favor of statehood. America’s 51st state. While they wait [statehood] if to see whether Congress will pass a Currently, the island is in the middle statute admitting the new state, many we’re going to of an economic crisis. In May of Lehman students with ties to the island 2013, faced with a $ 73 billion debt, remain divided or uncertain about its actually help... it filed for bankruptcy. According to fate. data released in September of 2017 and I’m against by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Numerous students told the Meridian unemployment remains high and the that they were unaware that Puerto it if it’s going poverty level has risen to 46 percent. Rico is trying to become a state. Of Since jobs are low in demand and those who know about the issue, to hurt those poverty has risen, many have been roughly half told the Meridian they forced to leave their homeland. think it’s a great idea, while the rest people even think Puerto Rico should stay as is. One Puerto Rican native, Lehman more.” student life employee, Teddy The island has been under U.S. control Hernandez, said, “I’m only for – Lehman student life employee, since 1898, following the Spanish- [statehood] if we’re going to actually American War, and has voted against Teddy Hernandez help…and I’m against it if it’s going News 5 to hurt those people even more.” If in Puerto Rico’s infrastructure for too such as Jerilyn Day-Johnson, Puerto Rico becomes a state it would long now.” administrative assistant to the vice gain access to more federally funded president for the Division of Student programs such as Supplemental On the other hand, Mike Garcia, 27, Affairs at Lehman who said, “I think Security Income Assistance, student who is a senior at Lehman and from it would benefit them economically loans, and others. the Dominican Republic, said, “It’s because Puerto Rico has become quite actually a great thing… In that it will impoverished over the years.” Some Lehman students questioned help us connect to Puerto Ricans a lot whether that leadership is beneficial. more and it will help us branch out to Sophomore Andrew Jackson, born in Melissa Ruiz, 25, a Lehman student other Latin American countries and Ghana, was also optimistic, “I think who was born in Puerto Rico but raised Caribbean islands.” it’s something that’s long overdue,” in the Bronx said, “As a Puerto Rican he said, “Because the U.S has a lot I don’t think it should really become a Those without direct connections to of power over there, so it only makes state because the U.S. has had a hand this island also had strong opinions, sense that they get admitted as a state.” The Capitol of Puerto Rico in Puerta de Tierra, San Juan. Photo courtesy of Pixabay. 6 News After Charlottesville Lehman Students Want an End to Racist Violence By Zayna Palmer The Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Following racist violence at a students feel endangered by this event want to see these threats addressed white supremacist gathering in because they do not feel safe. Students here in the Bronx as well, where Charlottesville Va. that led to the are terrified for their future and they two Confederate statues have long killing of one protestor, Lehman do not know what to expect. They been part of the Bronx Community News 7 College Hall of Fame for Great crime, and more vulnerable to racist Confederate Generals Robert E. Americans. These Confederate statues violence. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, at Bronx are being permanently removed after Community College’s Hall of Fame for a protest of CUNY students. Thompson also believes that Donald Great Americans. On Aug. 17, 2017 Trump did not take immediate enough Thomas A. Isekenegbe, president of The Charlottesville killing happened action after hearing about the attacks, BCC stated, “Embracing differences on August 12, 2017, the day after a since his first response was a Tweet. includes creating space where all march in which white nationalists She thinks that we are reliving similar people feel respected, welcomed, protested the proposed removal of a experiences to those that occurred and valued.