For Immediate Release: October 10, 2024
Contact: Michael Earls at [email protected]
Presidents’ Alliance and TheDream.US React to DACA Hearing and Emphasize Stakes for Higher Education
Washington D.C. – In response to today’s oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in the Texas v. United States case regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and TheDream.US issued the following joint statement.
Felecia Russell, Director of the Higher Ed Immigration Portal at the Presidents’ Alliance and a DACA recipient, said:
“As a DACA recipient, I am filled with angst as my livelihood and the safety of over 530,000 active DACA recipients hangs in the balance of the courts.
Despite its successes and the program’s contributions to the lives of DACA recipients, their families, and the larger country, DACA remains under threat. As we speak out on behalf of DACA and the permanent legislative solution our country has long needed, we also recognize that higher education can play a continued role in supporting their undocumented students, with and without DACA, and the impacted faculty and staff on their campuses.
I urge the court to rule in favor of one of the most transformative policies of our generation, not just because of DACA recipients’ contributions to the American economy, but also because it is the right thing to do. Solidifying and expanding opportunities for DACA recipients and undocumented students is good for all of us. The Presidents’ Alliance is proud to support a strong and accessible DACA program; the promise of streamlined access to employment-based visas; and legislation like the Dream Act that will allow me and other directly impacted individuals a permanent way to work, thrive, and plan our futures in this nation.”
Gaby Pacheco, President and CEO of TheDream.US and a longtime advocate for DACA and Dreamers, stated:
“If the future of DACA was based on merits or its benefits to the nation, it would be a slam dunk to solidify the program and reopen it to new applicants. DACA is one of the most popular and successful immigration programs in U.S. history.
Despite their achievements, their talents, and their deeply embedded roots and lives in the U.S., the futures of TheDream.US Scholars and all Dreamers hang in the balance and remain uncertain due to DACA’s tenuous future and legal challenges that have already barred new applicants. Meanwhile, the long overdue answer – legislation that replaces the temporary status of DACA and includes a way for Dreamers to become permanent American citizens – remains unfulfilled despite its popularity.
We will remain steadfast and committed to meeting the evolving needs of our Scholars and alumni and sharing our stories, our perspective, and our data that demonstrate unequivocally why expanded opportunities for Dreamers strengthens campuses and this nation (find a longer reflection from Gaby Pacheco HERE on the DACA hearing and larger significance).”
Key Resources
- Join the timely Presidents’ Alliance webinar on Thursday, October 10: “Supporting Undocumented Students with College Process”
- Read the Presidents’ Alliance resource: “Oral Argument in the DACA Case: What Higher Education Leaders Need to Know”
- Read “Beyond DACA: A Directory of Resources for Undocumented Students & Individuals,” from the Presidents’ Alliance, Immigrants Rising, Informed Immigrant, and NAKASEC
- Find detailed national and state-specific data and resources on DACA and Undocumented Students and how higher education can support Dreamers at the Higher Ed Immigration Portal
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support undocumented, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of 550+ college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
TheDream.US is the nation’s largest college and career success program for undocumented immigrant students, having provided more than 11,000 college scholarships to Dreamers attending over 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, DC. We believe everyone, regardless of where they were born, should have equitable access to a college education, a meaningful career, and opportunities to contribute to the communities they call home. For more information on TheDream.US, visit www.thedream.us.
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