This message was sent on Friday, June 19, 2020.
To the ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ Community:
Yesterday the Supreme Court of the United States released its decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). We are heartened to see that the court has upheld DACA.
We recognize that this decision, while crucial, does not address all challenges for our undocumented students, including those with DACA and those without that status. We write today to assure you that ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ will continue to act on its commitment to support students who are DACAmented, undocumented or members of families with mixed documentation. Ann-Therese OrtÃz, Associate Dean of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Life, is our point person for student issues related to citizenship status.
As a reminder, ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳ will not release information about any community member’s citizenship unless legally required to do so.The College does not use E-Verify to verify a student’s (or staff member’s) eligibility to work at the College. Campus Safety will not be involved in enforcing federal immigration laws, including Green Card and visa issues, nor will they inquire about or record immigration status when interacting with community members. Law enforcement officials seeking to come on to campus are expected to check in first with Campus Safety and present a warrant or other enforceable legal instrument. Our staff have received training to ensure that they are aware of the above College procedures;We will continue to update this training.
Finally, we will continue to advocate for DACA and undocumented students at the national level, both in our work toward policy changes with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and in our outreach to our congressional representatives. A legislative solution may offer the best hope for a permanent resolution.
We welcome this decision and continue to actively support and advocate on behalf of all of our students and community members.
Sincerely,
Kim Cassidy
President, ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳
Jennifer Walters
Dean of the Undergraduate College