Thank You

Thank you for signing on to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.  The failure of Congress to pass a legislative solution to DACA and ensure the protection of Dreamers, along with the implementation of other immigration measures targeting international students and scholars, TPS recipients, and other immigrants means the stakes for higher education and our students have never been higher.

While we work to create a long-term infrastructure to put presidents and chancellors at the forefront of immigration policy, it’s essential that we continue to press Congress and the Administration to protect Dreamers. With the repeal of DACA, if protections for Dreamers are not passed, these individuals lose their protection against deportation and their ability to work and fully contribute to our campuses, communities, and country.  The ripple effects will be devastating and far-reaching – not only destroying these young people’s lives, but hurting communities across the country.

We ask you to commit to the following advocacy opportunities as your first undertaking as a member of this Alliance.

1. Call your contacts in Congress and at the White House.

Nearly 90% of Americans and 80% of Republicans believe that Dreamers deserve the ability to earn a path to citizenship, and Members of Congress in both parties need to hear from leaders in their communities about the urgency in getting this done before the end of the year. Every day that Congress does not pass a permanent legislative solution for Dreamers, approximately 122 people will lose their DACA protections. Call the representative and Senators for your college or university, as well as any others you may have a relationship with, including alumni who are serving in Congress.

2. Spread the word about the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in the press.

The Presidents’ Alliance is an historic step in convening presidents and chancellors to influence policy and support our students, faculty, and staff who are impacted by our badly broken and outdated immigration system. Use the resources in the Launch Day Social Media and Press Toolkit to share this launch with news outlets in your local media markets, and with reporters with whom you have relationships.

3. Go on-the-record to declare your support for a permanent, bipartisan legislative solution to protect Dreamers.

Publish an op-ed, release a public statement, create a video message, or post on your social media platforms declaring your support for Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution that will protect Dreamers before the end of the year. Members of Congress should not head home for the holidays while leaving Dreamers wondering if this is the last holiday season they will spend with their families in the only country they know as home.

4. Invite your colleagues who are presidents and chancellors to join the Alliance.

We are actively and continually recruiting new members to join the Alliance. Reach out to your colleagues using the template below, and ask them to join us in increasing public understanding around how immigration policies and practices impact our campuses, and in supporting policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented, and international students on our campuses.

Dear [COLLEAGUE],

I’m proud to be part of the founding group launching the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. We are an alliance of American college and university leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses, and communities. We support policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented, and international students on our campuses.

We are excited to put presidents and chancellors at the forefront of influencing immigration policy that impacts our campus communities across the United States, and I want to invite you to be part of this Alliance.  The time has never been more urgent to lend our voices and our influence to support Dreamers and other immigration issues .

You can take the first step in joining the Alliance by filling out this form on our website https://prezstaging.wpengine.com/join-us. Together we will:

  • Educate the public and policymakers about the value and contributions of international and immigrant students and scholars to our campuses, communities and nation.
  • Improve how we support international and immigrant students on our campuses, including by sharing best practices with each other.
  • Support the consideration and adoption of federal immigration policies and practices as well as relevant state policies that honor our values and commitments as educational institutions and press for re-examination of those that do not.

Thank you,

[NAME]