ISSUES

Codifying and Fortifying DACA


Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a group of college leaders who advocate for welcoming immigration policies for undocumented, immigrant and international students, said the organization welcomes “this proposed rule with the goal of strengthening and reinforcing” the DACA program.

But she pointed out that many students entering and enrolled in college now are not eligible for DACA because in order to be eligible they would have had to have arrived in the U.S. by June 15, 2007. The Presidents’ Alliance estimates that there are about 427,345 undocumented students in higher education, and that fewer than half of those students — 181,624 — are eligible for DACA.

“Ultimately, an administrative solution is not possible,” Feldblum said. “There is no administrative solution. There’s only a legislative solution. That’s the imperative, and it just continues to grow in urgency.”

Read the full article from Inside Higher Ed here