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In an email to students on Wednesday, University of New Haven President Steven H. Kaplan announced his support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, along with over 400 colleges and universities across the country.
The email, sent to all members of UNH students, faculty and staff, recognized the open letter to the leaders of our country to preserve this program, which has been supported by many leaders in higher education.
“To our country’s leaders we say that DACA should be upheld, continued, and expanded. This is both a moral imperative and a national necessity. America needs talent – and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States, are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future,” the letter states.
The open letter was initiated by Pomona College in California, citing the “moral imperative” held by institutions of higher learning to support these students in DACA.
Kaplan believes supporting this is the right thing to do, citing the many young people the program has helped in this country.
“One of my primary obligations as the president of a wonderfully diverse institution of higher learning is to do everything I can to protect the well-being of our students from across the United States and around the globe,” he said.
When asked to clarify what support he will give to these students who may be under threat, Kaplan reiterated his support of the general welfare of students.
“As we go forward, we will work with elected officials locally and nationally to understand any potential policy changes or legislative efforts, to advocate for maintaining the DACA program, and to promote policies that support our students and their families,” he said.
Brown University President Christina Paxson, a fellow signee of this letter, made her students aware of the legal difficulties that may come with the repeal of DACA, if President Trump decides that is what he wants.
“While we wish we could offer absolute protection to members of our community who are threatened by possible changes in policy, it would be irresponsible to promise protections that we cannot legally deliver,” she wrote in an op-ed to students.
The DACA program was enacted in 2012 by President Obama, allowing hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to work and live legally in the United States, after being brought here as children.
DACA has been come under fire recently with the election of Donald Trump as president, who has lauded his plans to curb illegal immigration as one of the cornerstones of his campaign.
According to a CNN report, since the election, immigration lawyers have been telling their clients not to apply, citing the large risk of the benefits being retracted come January.
