the policy. “These policies come with a lot of background risks and threats to our community that a lot of people, unless you are undocumented, don’t know,” Contreras said. Obama’s use of unilateral powers to enact DACA was a decision rooted in Congress’ failure to reach a solution addressing issues faced by undocumented immigrants. A legislative measure to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children — known as the Dream Act — was first proposed to Congress in 2001. Since then, the Dream Act has cyclically been brought back into the spotlight, including in 2012 when the Obama administration announced it would stop deporting undocumented immigrants who fit certain criteria. When President Donald Trump entered the Oval Office in 2017, his wavering position on DACA heralded an uncertain future for DACA recipients. In September 2017, Trump announced the rescission of DACA would begin on March 5, 2018. The timing of the announcement purposefully allowed for a six-month window in order to spur congressional action in addressing the issue. As congressional leadership has spent the month of February engaging in closed door debate over DACA, lower courts in New York and California have issued injunctions requiring the continuation of DACA permit renewals. On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court added another layer of uncertainty to the status of DACA recipients, refusing to hear Trump’s bid that DACA is unconstitutional and upholding the prior injunctions. Charles Shipan, University of Michigan professor of political science, predicted the Supreme Court would be hesitant to weigh in on the DACA program because of the court’s wariness toward political issues. Shipan cited the saturated congressional dialogue regarding immigration as a reason for why the Supreme Court would view DACA as a political issue rather than a question of legality. The Supreme Court’s deferral of the DACA case to the lower courts means DACA will stay in place at least until the U.S. Court of Appeals hears it; however, this process could take months. Shipan believes legislative inaction on DACA reflects the hallmarks of the current congressional climate: Polarization, internal Republican party divisions and presidential pressure. Yet, Shipan suggested the emphasis on the polarization narrative sometimes overlooks other contributing factors of the DACA policy stalemate. “There is a fair amount of agreement between a lot of Republicans and Democrats, which would be to provide a path of citizenship for the Dreamers and increase funding for border security,” Shipan said. “If that would be put to a vote right now in both chambers it would win because we would get a number of Democrats and a number of Republicans to agree to that. The polarization is a problem, but I actually think that gets overstated as a problem in this issue.” Yet as the three government branches wrestle over the future of DACA, for many DACA recipients, including Contreras, the turmoil of the Trump administration weighs heavier than the March 5 deadline. “Generally, if I am going to be honest, I am kind of burnt out or numb to the fact that DACA or the Dream Act isn’t going to be a reality in the next year,” Contreras said. “Just because first it was December, then it was February, now it is March 5 and nothing is going to happen on March 5. It is constant, I hate to be so pessimistic and negative, but it is just the trend that has been following.” The uncertainty that shadows DACA has led institutions like the University to evaluate their own commitment to undocumented student populations. The University does not keep an official record of the number of undocumented students and University President Mark Schlissel has pledged to protect the identity and information of unauthorized immigrant students. On March 2, following the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case, Schlissel released a statement reaffirming the University’s support. Schlissel highlighted the University actions including collaborating with other institutions, hiring Hector Galvan within the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives to assist undocumented students who seek support and publishing DACA resources and contacts online. Kristin Bhaumik, the associate director of the Office of Financial Aid, emphasized the University’s commitment to the financial resources of all undergraduate students, including DACA recipients. “DACA is a subcategory of the students who are eligible,” Bhaumik said. “We have never made that eligibility contingent on DACA. The pending rescission impacts so many things in their lives and is something I personally worry about for many of the students that I know, but the funding that this University is providing is not contingent on that status at the undergraduate level.” Contreras was part of the fight for tuition parity as a member of the Coalition for Tuition Equality in 2011. Prior to the 2013 update of the residency pathways, undocumented students were unable to qualify for in-state tuition. However, DACA recipients are ineligible for Federal Student Aid, which includes federal loans, grants and work study. In light of this, the University has worked with DACA recipients to find alternative funding avenues. “It wasn’t the same time that residency was updated, but about a year or two afterwards, Provost Pollack authorized some unrestricted scholarship funding to assist undocumented and DACA-mented students with need-based resources,” Bhaumik said. Contreras is grateful for the financial aid that has been provided to him through these allocated funds. “Every year (the regents) vote on it to decide how much funding there will be and if there will be any funding at all. So far, we have gotten lucky; ever since 2013 they have been continuously voting to fund it,” Contreras said. Bhaumik explained how the University’s financial aid policies are constantly being evaluated to ensure the University is acting in accordance with state and federal law. “Right now, we think we are still operating in a way that is both legal, defensible and in the best interest of our Michigan residents, but that is constantly being evaluated,” Bhaumik said. While DACA continues to be at the forefront of media and political dialogue, for Contreras — a student activist since high school — the constant state of uncertainty has proven exhausting. 2A — Monday, March 5, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com TUESDAY: By Design FRIDAY: Behind the Story WEDNESDAY: This Week in History News THURSDAY: Twitter Talk MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers ROSEANNE CHAO/Daily 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com ARTS SECTION arts@michigandaily.com SPORTS SECTION sports@michigandaily.com ADVERTISING dailydisplay@gmail.com NEWS TIPS news@michigandaily.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL PAGE opinion@michigandaily.com NATHAN GUPTA Business Manager 734-418-4115 ext. 1241 nathankg@michigandaily.com ALEXA ST. 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For personal use only. Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku, Godoku, Samurai Sudoku and Killer Sudoku puzzles at sudokugenerator.com! Sudoku Generator http://sudokugenerator.com/sudoku/generator/print/ 1 of 1 10/1/2010 1:26 PM WELCOME BACK! puzzle by sudokusyndication.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com Business, Engineering and LSA students from the University of Michigan collaborated to form Upstart, a team that recently won the Social Impact Challenge, a contest held by the Center of Social Impact. Now, the students are talking with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to implement their plan and to provide a boost to Detroit’s retail industry. The DEGC is an organization that aims to help entrepreneurs establish short term pop-ups. According to a press release, members of the DEGC say they hope to utilize the teams’ ideas. According to the Detroit Free Press, Detroit’s economy has improved over the last several years, but the city still struggles to maintain retail stores. The Social Impact Challenge gives graduate and undergraduate students the opportunity to work together to develop solutions to real life social issues, such as Detroit’s retail industry. Upstart is encouraging the DEGC to acquire longer term leases with building landlords so that pop-ups will be attracted by shorter term leases. The team also proposed including renovation grants and training for entrepreneurs. Upstart member Brie Riley, a Business junior, said the group’s goal was not just to create a pop-up, but to help sustainable business. “We hope we’ll get the opportunity to work with DEGC and see these ideas implemented,” Riley said in the press release.“We don’t want to just create a pop- up. We want to create long-term sustainable shops.” Kyla Carlsen, DEGC small business financial manager, said the organization is looking into ways to incorporate the winning students’ ideas to promote Detroit business and to add sustainability to stores. “We saw a need for this interim opportunity for entrepreneurs to try out their product, to set them up for long-term success and lower the barriers for people to locate in our neighborhoods,” Carlsen said the release. -RACHEL LEUNG ON THE DAILY: STUDENTS RE-PLAN POP-UPS DACA From Page 1A