Message from the Provost on DACA

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Given the recent memorandum from the Department of Homeland Security issued on September 5th regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, GW has continued to monitor developments surrounding this decision and has taken several steps to support those directly affected within our community. 

As you may be aware, the Federal Government has determined that renewal applications may be filed by individuals whose DACA status will expire between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, if their renewal applications are accepted by the Department of Homeland Security as of October 5, 2017. Anyone with questions about their status should first consult the most recent issuance from DHS. In addition, last year, a GW website was created to provide information related to DACA and highlight resources available for those impacted by the policy. These resources include an offer by the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinic to provide without charge legal assistance to GW students. The immigration law clinic can be reached at 202-994-7463.

Recently, GW has arranged for the additional resource of an external immigration law firm to provide assistance to any community members who may be impacted by this decision. The firm will answer affected students’ initial questions and will discuss any available options free of charge. To assist GW community members who may have specific questions, Helen Konrad, director of the Immigration Practice Group at McCandlish Holton, P.C. will be hosting an informational meeting on September 26th from 5-6pm in the Marvin Center, Room 307. Please note that Ms. Konrad will not be offering legal advice at the meeting, but will be explaining the DACA policy changes and other important information to members of the GW community who are impacted. Ms. Konrad can also be reached directly by telephone at 804-775-3825 or by email at hkonradlawmh [dot] com (hkonrad[at]lawmh[dot]com) for a follow-up conversation.

In order to respect the privacy of our fellow community members, we ask that you do not ask anyone about their status. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like more information and support beyond your legal questions, please email enrollmentgwu [dot] edu (enrollment[at]gwu[dot]edu) as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Forrest Maltzman
Provost