DACA Dilemma: When an International Scholarship Might Mean Deportation

The Supreme Court is expected to rule in June on President Trump's elimination of DACA, the program that protected so-called Dreamers from deportation. But that might be too late for Rutgers University senior Esder Chong.

Chong immigrated from South Korea at 6 and founded the RU Dreamers organization at Rutgers. She recently earned a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to spend a year in China to study for a masters' degree in global affairs. But since her immigration status is in limbo, she doesn't have papers that would allow her to return to the United States. 

"The problem is that is I mostly likely won't be able to come back," Chong said. "There is no guarantee of me returning home after the program." 

Chong is slated to leave in August. The Supreme Court will rule by June. She still doesn't know if she will go.

"That's really the reality that faces undocumented and DACA recipients in America: Choosing between these great opportunities, and being able to stay [in the United States]," she said.