DACA recipients have helped build the American dream. It’s time to give them a path to citizenship.

This op-ed was written by  Louis Caldera, former Secretary of the Army and former president of the University of New Mexico, Chancellor Nancy Cantor of Rutgers University – Newark, and President Elsa Núñez of Eastern Connecticut State University, co-founders of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and co-chairs of its Steering Committee.

As university leaders, we have seen firsthand the difference DACA has made for its recipients and for our nation. DACA students have become campus leaders; earned bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees; and graduated to being nurses, doctors, lawyers and scientists. They have become highly valued employees, enlisted in the military and started thriving businesses. And as they’ve grown older, they’ve bought homes, started families and helped communities grow stronger through their charitable work and civic engagement.

At a time when our nation is suffering severe labor shortages, with consequences ranging from rising inflation to diminished economic growth, we need the talents of young undocumented people. But we cannot realize Dreamers’ potential without making the protections and opportunities afforded by DACA permanent.

To read the full op-ed post from USA Today click here