ISSUES
Presidents’ Alliance calls on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers
Posted: June 12, 2018
Modified: August 21, 2020
ISSUES
Posted: June 12, 2018
Modified: August 21, 2020
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE U.S. SENATE:
We write in strong support of the efforts being made by members of the House of Representatives to bring bipartisan legislation to the floor that would provide a permanent relief and a pathway to citizenship for the approximately 700,000 current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) recipients.
Indeed, we call on the leadership of both houses to come together as soon as possible to craft and send to the president bipartisan legislation that provides a legislative solution for Dreamers. This legislation is urgently needed, given the harms already being experienced as a result of the legal uncertainty and precarious circumstances in which affected students, families, communities, educational institutions and employers find themselves, and given the potential for even greater harm in light of the tenuous judicial basis on which the DACA program now operates. As you know a majority of Americans, including majorities on a bipartisan basis, support such legislation.
We add our voices to theirs. As a non-partisan alliance of over 365 college and university presidents and chancellors from across the nation, we have seen first-hand the drive, commitment, service-mindedness, and entrepreneurial spirit of Dreamers on our campuses and communities and as our alumni. They are bright, hardworking, entrepreneurial young people whose contributions are already strengthening our country through their work as teachers, nurses, doctors, business owners and service members in our nation’s military.
Given the opportunity to adjust their status, we see in Dreamers the same potential as the millions of immigrants who came before them and who helped make this country what it is today, including those who excelled in our nation’s colleges and universities and joined the next generation of scientists, researchers, engineers, and educational, civic and business leaders. We believe, our nation can only benefit by making citizenship and full participation in American life a real and within-reach possibility for these remarkable young people, on a time frame that is not excessive or punitive. (The average DACA recipient has already lived in the U.S. for almost 20 years.)
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration As leaders of educational institutions committed to educating anyone with the talent and drive to learn and to contribute to making the world a better place – whether a native born, immigrant or an international student, we urge you to:
We are prepared to work with you to ensure U.S. immigration policies are informed by our experiences and convictions, so that our nation’s security may be provided for, but also its heritage as a nation of immigrants will be ever renewed. We have seen the transformative power of education meet the drive of immigrants determined to take advantage of the opportunities and freedom our country uniquely provides and to give back to their parents who sacrificed to come here and to their new country. We proudly attest to the important role first and second-generation immigrants and international students play in helping to build and sustain our campuses, to contribute to the vitality and economic prosperity of our communities, and to ensure that American higher education continues to excel nationally and internationally.
We urge you to begin this important work by passing as soon as possible a legislative solution for Dreamers.