Reaffirming support for DACA and undocumented students

Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis

As the end of the Supreme Court Term nears, the immigrant community is on pins and needles awaiting  a decision on the lawfulness of President Trump's rescission of the  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)  policy , which was put into place by the Obama administration in 2012 and has provided temporary relief from removal (and work authorization) to hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.  For analysis of what is at stake with the rise and potential fall of DACA, click  here.

The decision in the DACA case will affect many college and university students.  The students, of course, currently face the anxiety and uncertainty of a global pandemic.  Add to that the anxiety and uncertainty about their place in our society.  Statements of support from university students are critically important.

University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary May  issued a statement yesterday in support of our DACA and undocumented students.  The statement begins:

"In these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in our campus community is dealing with a certain amount of stress and uncertainty.

Many in our community are experiencing another level of uncertainty as we await the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

I want to assure you that UC Davis remains committed to supporting our undocumented community, no matter the outcome of this decision.

Rescinding the DACA program runs counter to the  University of California principles of open and equal access to higher education for students of  all backgrounds.

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UC Davis is home to a dedicated community of DACA/DACAmented students and staff from across the globe. UC Davis graduates who were protected from deportation under DACA have blossomed with careers in medicine, law, social work and much more.

These students — many of whom are the first in their families to attend college — contribute to our rich diversity of cultures and perspectives that is integral to our success as a global university. They are paving a future for themselves and their families so they can give back to our society.

We have campus resources to help guide DACA/DACAmented and undocumented students through their financial, legal and even emotional challenges."

This statement does not come out of the blue.  Chancellor May, for example, participated in UC’s “I Stand With ...” campaign as oral arguments neared in the DACA case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The UC Board of Regents is leading the challenges to the Trump administration’s rescission of the program.  

As the DACA decision nears,  other university leaders are reaffirming their universities' support for DACA students.

University of California President  Janet Napolitano, who was Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when DACA was put into place, has led the legal challenge to the rescission of DACA.  Several years ago, She created the  UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, which provides legal assistance to immigrant students and their parents on the UC campuses.  The Center has provided legal assistance to hundreds of UC students on a wide variety of immigration matters.  We are proud to house the Center at UC Davis School of Law.