Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) & Undocumented Student Support
Washington and Lee University is a community that celebrates and honors students from diverse backgrounds. Our University, along with hundreds of other universities across the country , is committed to supporting all students and their academic pursuits regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
On Nov. 21, 2016, Washington and Lee joined a group of more than 600 colleges and universities in a call for the United States to uphold and continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, calling it a "moral imperative" and a "national necessity." The presidents of the public and private institutions who have signed the statement offered to meet with U.S. leaders on the issue and urged business, civic, religious and non-profit sectors to join them in supporting DACA and undocumented immigrant students.
Please see the Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Program and our Undocumented Immigrant Students.
Programs and Events
The Office of Inclusion and Engagement works collaboratively with different campus partners and student organizations to create intentional and meaningful programs and events for our students.
- DACA and Undocumented Students Support and Opportunities with Karen Vallejos — October 25, 2023
The Office of Inclusion and Engagement and the Immigrant Rights Clinic are hosting alumni Karen Vallejos Corrales '20L as she presents her college journey as an undocumented student and what options/resources students have. Please join us on October 25 from 5-6:30 pm at Hillel 101. - The Unafraid Documentary Screening and Panel – February 15, 2024
LALSA, OIE, and The Immigrant Rights Clinic will be hosting The Unafraid Documentary screening and Panel on February 15 at 5:30pm in Northen Auditorium. The Screening will be followed by a Panel with Professors: Matthew Boaz, Hafsa Obou and alumni, Edwin Castellanos.
The Unafraid is a documentary that follows the personal lives of three DACA students in Georgia, a state that has banned them from attending their top state universities and disqualifies them from receiving in-state tuition at any other public college. Shot in an observational style over a period of four years, this film takes an intimate look at the lives of Alejandro, Silvia and Aldo as they navigate activism, pursuing their right to education, and fighting for the rights of their families and communities. The Unafraid shows us what it means to grow up both American and undocumented in the United States.