University of California Board of Regents Chair George Kieffer, Vice Chair John A. Pérez and Chair of the Public Engagement and Development Committee Monica Lozano issued the following statement today (September 5) in response to President Trump effectively ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program:
We are profoundly troubled by the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the DACA program that has given more than 800,000 young people the freedom to live, work and study in the only country most of them have known as home. The administration’s decision makes it imperative for Congress to enact bipartisan legislation that will reform our broken immigration system and provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers, thousands of whom attend the University of California.
These young people, brought to this country as children, have overcome countless hurdles to arrive at UC and at other institutions of higher learning throughout our nation. We will continue to provide them with essential legal and support services to guide them through these uncertain times and to safeguard their privacy. As leaders of the University of California, we will do everything in our power to help DACA recipients and their supporters keep the program alive as we advocate for legislation that provides a long-term and morally just solution to this untenable situation.