Who are Dreamers?

“Dreamer” is an affirmative term for undocumented students in the U.S. Dreamers exist in every state and come from all parts of the world including North and Central America, Asia, South America, Africa, and Europe. In Washington state, students can also be recognized as HB1079 students.

Dreamers are students who:

• Attended school and grew up in the U.S.
• Are in the U.S. without permanent legal status
• Many times find out that they are Dreamers when they start the process of applying for college

How can I help support Dreamers?

Here are some simple steps that all of us can do to help support Dreamers:

• Stay informed by keeping up-to-date on news regarding immigration law.
• Accept and affirm that all students have a right to attend Clark College, regardless of immigration status.
• Do not ask students or colleagues to disclose their immigration status or ask questions like “Where are you from originally?” that might force them to disclose sensitive information.
• Discourage others from asking people about their immigration status. Interrupt the conversation and change the subject, if you feel comfortable doing so.
• Do not assume that someone is a U.S. citizen based on their appearance, accent, name, etc.
• Do not assume that someone isn’t a U.S. citizen based on their appearance, accent, name, etc.
• Share resources like the Diversity Center and the WASFA with all students—not just ones you suspect of being Dreamers.
• If you feel that someone at the college has discriminated or harassed a member of the college community because of their immigration status, you can file a Bias-Based Incident Report.
• If you see someone on college property questioning others about their immigration statusor demanding proof of citizenship, call Security at 360-992-2133.
• Above all else, if a student discloses their immigration status with you, do not share or publicize that information with others.

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offers employee trainings on serving Dreamer students on a regular basis. Visit their website or contact 360-992-2292 to find out about upcoming training opportunities.