University officials around the country, including those in California, are urging students living abroad who have DACA residency status as the children of immigrants that they should return to the U.S. before the inauguration in January, after which it is unclear how easy it will be for them to get back into the country. The Mercury News got word of a letter from the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University system advising administrators at 23 of its campuses to warn their DACA recipients studying abroad that it was "highly likely" their immigration status would be questioned by border security after January 20.

A spokesperson for the UC system's Office of the President also confirmed that UC advisors in the Education Abroad Program are working with their students who are not full US citizens to figure out their plans as well, according to the Merc.

The LA Times reported on the story as well, speaking to immigration law expert and associate clinical professor of law at the Santa Clara University Lynette Parker, who says, "We want to make sure that students are aware of the risks. We want to be on the cautious side and want to make sure that we're warning persons that we don't know what's going to happen."

Over 200 college and university presidents nationwide have signed an open letter to President-Elect Trump calling for him to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, which was established in 2012 to allow the children of undocumented immigrants, born elsewhere but residing in the country for at least five years before the age of 16, to remain in the US legally and pursue citizenship under the DREAM Act. "America needs talent," the letter states, "and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States, are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future."

In addition to UC and Cal State presidents, leaders of the University of San Francisco, Santa Clara University, Mills College, and Pomona College have all signed the letter, as the SF Business Times notes.

In a This American Life segment following the election, reporter Zoe Chace spoke with New York-based immigration attorney Cheryl David, who believes that people who already have residency status under the Dream Act will likely not lose that status, but the Trump Administration will likely cease taking new applications and those whose applications are in process are probably at risk. She also believes that enforcement by ICE is going to be different depending on what part of the country you're in. "We won't know until they start arresting people," says David's associate Lindsey Gauzza. "You're going to have advocates in San Francisco saying 'It's happening like this,' Atlanta's going to have a different scenario. New York, who knows."

To combat this, the SF Public Defender's Office has proposed a $5 million fund to be set up dedicated solely to fighting deportation cases here.

For students who grew up in California but still don't have permanent residency status, it remains all up in the air.

Previously: SF Public Defender's Office Proposes $5 Million Fund To Fight Deportation Cases Under Trump