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NIU takes part in "I Stand with Immigrants" Day of Action

Members of Dream Action NIU pose for WNIJ on "I Stand with Immigrants" day of action.
Maria Gardner Lara
Members of Dream Action NIU pose for the Nov. 2 "I Stand with Immigrants" Day of Action.

This week NIU took part in a national day of action celebrating immigrant contributions in the U.S.

Part of the celebration included highlighting NIU's Office of Undocumented Student Support Services elevation to a support center to ensure that all students, regardless of immigration status, receive academic support.

The public was asked to complete three activities to receive an "I Support Immigrants" T-shirt, that included signing a poster board and taking a picture with the slogan for social media.

Members of Dream Action NIU, a student led organization that advocates for undocumented students on campus in DeKalb County were on hand.

For Lorena, a sociology major and co-president of the organization, it was an opportunity to remind voters of what's at stake in the upcoming election.

"There's a lot of legislation right now mostly with undocumented students, mostly with immigration," she said." There's a really bad image but it shouldn't be like that because thanks to immigrants, the country is built upon immigrants.”

She’s referring to DACA, the temporary legal status for undocumented students. Currently, the program doesn’t allow for new applicants. The Supreme Court is expected to consider the fateof the program for a third time.

A Chicago native, Maria earned a Master's Degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield . Maria is a 2022-2023 corps member for Report for America. RFA is a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. It is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism organization. Un residente nativo de Chicago, Maria se graduó de University of Illinois Springfield con una licenciatura superior en periodismo de gobierno.