Understanding DACA
Since its creation in 2012, DACA has been besieged by legal attacks trying to end the program. Just last week, the Fifth Circuit sustained a lower court decision determining DACA to be an illegal program that should be ended. Meanwhile, thousands of individuals across the country have had DACA status for many years and as a result have gained access to higher education, employment opportunities and financial stability. Join us for a night of deep learning about the benefits, limitations, and challenges facing the DACA program.
Our panelists:
Hali Calzadillas is a Department of Justice Accredited Representative with Santa Fe Dreamers Project. Hali is originally from Chihuahua Mexico but grew up in Santa Fe. She graduated summa cum laude from Highlands University in 2017 with a B.A. of Arts. Her work entails working with victims of crime, family-based petitions, citizenship and others. Hali is very connected to the immigrant community because as an immigrant she believes in advocating for immigrant rights, social justice and the community’s well-being.
Aailinn Martinez is the UndocuHealing Organizer with New Mexico Dream Team. Aailinn immigrated to the United States from Mexico when she was very little, therefore she has never known her home country. Aailinn feels very fortunate to have parents who have sacrificed leaving their homeland because of the dream they had for her and her siblings to have the opportunity to have a brighter future in the United States. She has seen her family struggle and knows what hard work is because of them. Aailinn plans on making something extraordinary with that. She wants to help people by becoming a social worker. “My education is for myself, my family, and my community in New Mexico,” said Aailinn. Being part of the NMDT is learning how to be part of the change within the immigrant community. Learning the lesson that we need to come together as a community and organize, that is when change happens.
Emma O'Sullivan is an attorney and executive director of Santa Fe Dreamers Project. Emma has worked on a wide range of immigration issues including humanitarian relief, family-based immigration, and political asylum for detained and non-detained individuals. As an immigration attorney, Emma has represented hundreds of DACA recipients across New Mexico, and she started our weekly DACA clinic in Albuquerque in 2016. Emma has a BA and JD from the University of New Mexico. She is a 7th generation New Mexican who grew up outside of Los Lunas, New Mexico.
