By Mackenzie Farkus

Staff Writer

Simmons College will be hosting two programs in light of a new bipartisan bill meant to increase protection for people under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The Bar Removal of Individuals Who Dream of Growing Our Economy (BRIDGE) Act (H.R. 496) will allow those who have DACA to apply for provisional protected presence once

DACA expires.

The bill is a bipartisan effort to protect undocumented college and university students from having their education disrupted or being deported. Criteria for being eligible to apply for protection under the BRIDGE Act would include—but is not limited to—being currently in school, not having been convicted of a crime, and not posing a security threat.

Assistant Professors Benjamin Cole and Abel Amado, both from the Political Science and International Relations Department, will be discussing how the BRIDGE Act will extend the protections that DACA provided to undocumented students. The event will be held on Wednesday, March 29, in Room C103 in the Main College Building.

A Civic Engagement Fair will also be held on Wednesday, April 5. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the various ways to be more active with the community around them. Local groups planning to attend include the League of Women Voters, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, the Boston Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, and the Simmons Office of Community Engagement. The location of this event is yet to be announced.

Although the BRIDGE Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on Jan. 12, it still has to go through the House of Representatives and the Senate. Many people, however, have hope that the BRIDGE Act will pass due to its bipartisan nature. Whether or not the bill passes, it is important to remain educated about bills in Congress for constituents on both sides of the aisle.