Dream Action NIU at Northern Illinois University is calling on public support for undocumented students protected under the DACA program – or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
The fundraiser comes after the government's recent announcement to resume accepting DACA renewals.
Laura Vivaldo Cholula is the Co-President of Dream Action NIU.
"It's kind of very instant, and we needed an immediate response to this," she said. "We knew because it just happened, we wouldn't necessarily have $500."
Vivaldo Cholula says that's the approximate cost for students to re-apply. She says students are facing extra stress now that the semester is already underway.
“There are students coming in who were like, ‘Okay. They just announced that I can renew. I need to put everything else on hold and get this done' because this just means two more years of semi-normal life, or a life not in limbo status,’” she said.
The fundraiser's goal is to raise $3,000 by Wednesday.
Dream Action NIU is hosting a free workshop this weekend to help with the DACA renewal process. It's from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the NIU Latino Resource Center.
