Higher Education Associations Call on Congress to Protect Dreamers

September 13, 2017

Trump Administration Decision to Rescind DACA Puts Onus on House and Senate to Act

ACE and 78 other associations are among the groups calling on Congress (84 KB PDF) to pass legislation as soon as possible to permanently protect Dreamers, young people brought to the United States as children and raised as Americans but living under threat of deportation to home countries they barely know.

Some 800,000 of these individuals currently have status under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a policy that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to work and study here legally for two-year renewable terms. President Obama implemented DACA in 2012 after Congress failed to pass the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act—first introduced 16 years ago—which would have offered similar protections.

The Trump administration announced Sept. 5 that it was rescinding DACA. The policy will be phased out over six months, giving Congress an opportunity to enshrine it in law. (See this ACE issue brief (136 KB PDF) on exactly how winding down DACA will work and what it means for students and campuses.)

At this point, it is unclear if and how Congress will act. The New York Times reported that Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) has pulled back a petition he had initiated to force the House to take up legislation to protect Dreamers, and a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the issue was canceled this week.

According to Coffman, the six-month timeframe could be partially responsible for the uncertainty. “With all the other things going on right now, the debt limit, the appropriations, tax reform, it’s not certainly on the top of the agenda right now,” he said.

What shape a bill would take is also at issue. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), among other Republicans, is advocating for embedding legislation protecting Dreamers within a broader immigration bill, while According to early reports, President Trump was pressing Democrats to pair it with funding for a border wall. However, The Wall Street Journal wrote Tuesday that the White House is now saying Dreamer legislation does not necessarily have to be part of a broader immigration bill.

In their letter to congressional leaders, the associations wrote that, “It remains in America’s best interest to enable [the Dreamers] to use their knowledge, skills and energy to make the strongest possible contribution to our country.”

“Colleges and universities have seen these remarkable people up close, in our classrooms and as our colleagues and friends,” the groups wrote. “Despite the challenges they face, they have made an incredible mark on our country and economy. They should continue to be able to do so. If we are unable to protect these Dreamers, we will be shutting the door to an entire generation of individuals who only seek to contribute their best to America.”

Of the 800,000 individuals with DACA status, more 300,000 are in college.

A recent study by the CATO Institute found that deporting individuals currently in DACA would cost over $60 billion in lost tax revenue and result in a $280 billion reduction in economic growth over the next decade.

A majority of voters want Congress to pass Dreamer legislation, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, and such a measure also has wide support in the business community and from other organizations across the country.

Recent Statements of Support for Dreamers:

Open Letter From Leaders of American Industry on DACA

Academic Impressions on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA)
Academic Impressions

Statement from AASCU President Muriel Howard on the Termination of the DACA Program
American Association of State Colleges and Universities

AMA Urges Congress to Take Action to Retain DACA Program Protections
American Medical Association

APA Statement on President Trump's Decision to End DACA
American Psychological Association

Apple CEO Tim Cook Pledges Support to Employees Affected by DACA in New Letter
Apple

AAC&U Responds to DACA Decision
Association of American Colleges & Universities

AAMC Statement on Announcement to Rescind DACA Executive Action
Association of American Medical Colleges

AAU President Condemns Administration's Decision to End DACA
Association of American Universities

ACCU Statement on the Rescinding of DACA
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities

AIEA Statement on Rescission of the U.S. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Order
Association of International Education Administrators