The leadership of a recently created collective of higher-ed leaders called The Presidents’ Alliance On Higher Education And Immigration has called for Congress to prevent Dreamers from being deported. According to their statement, they want Congress to craft “…a narrowly tailored solution to address the urgent problem created by the rescission of DACA.”
“We know Dreamers as our students and alumni, friends and family, neighbors and co-workers, and they are Americans in every respect but one,” the statement asserts. “The vast majority of Americans support protecting Dreamers, including providing them a pathway to citizenship.”
The statement declares that Dreamers have demonstrated themselves a boon to American society and that “Our nation would be poorer for their loss.”
“We believe there is a moral imperative for you to come together to solve this problem now, by passing bipartisan legislation as soon as possible to protect Dreamers from deportation and allow them to serve our country as students, workers, and members of our military,” the statement concludes.
The twenty-eight founding members of the Presidents’ Alliance include presidents and chancellors from Harvard University, Princeton University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Northampton Community College, Wellesley College, Southeastern University in Florida and other institutions—Southeastern is the college from which this writer graduated.
The list of over two hundred individuals that comprise the Presidents’ Alliance is available on the group’s website.
The coalition’s founding statement says: “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.”
(H/T: The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Alex Nitzberg is a freelance writer and the host of “The Alex Nitzberg Show” podcast. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
