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FLC joins amicus brief in support of DACA
On October 8, 2019, Fort Lewis College, together with 164 colleges and universities, joined an amicus brief in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in the case before the Supreme Court. You can view and download the brief at this link: bit.ly/DACAAmicus. Two years ago, on September 5, 2017, the administration rescinded DACA, an initiative that provides work permits and protection from deportation for upwards of 700,000 undocumented students, often known as “Dreamers.” Oral arguments on this rescission will be held at the Supreme Court on November 12, 2019.
Fort Lewis College joined this “friend of the court” brief to demonstrate our unwavering support for our DACA and immigrant students. DACA students bring a tremendous amount of diversity to campuses across the nation, especially ours. Our nation and institution have invested in the success of these students and the continued existence of DACA is essential to ensure the career and life success of these immigrant youth. The triumph of DACA students is our triumph, whether expanding our nation’s tax base, ensuring a robust alumni class, or injecting new perspectives and diversity into our campuses—our institution stands behind DACA students and Dreamers.
Since 2012, DACA has been extraordinarily successful, offering temporary protection from deportation and the ability to work legally to more than 700,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children. The program has benefited these Dreamers, including our students, their families, their communities, and our economy tremendously.
On September 5, 2017, the administration announced that they were terminating the DACA program, jeopardizing the futures of hundreds of thousands of young people. In the past two years, multiple courts have kept renewals ongoing for current DACA recipients, but Dreamers have still been forced to live court case to court case, uncertain about their futures and in fear of being separated from their families and the lives they have built over decades in the United States.
The future of DACA—and the futures of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers—will be argued at the U.S. Supreme Court on November 12, 2019. The Court could hand down a ruling as soon as February 2020 determining if Dreamers will lose the ability to live, study, and work in the United States.
DACA recipients are American in every way; they built their lives here and contribute to our campuses, communities and our country’s economy every day. Fort Lewis College is proud to support DACA recipients, and we believe it is vital that we protect this vulnerable population when their futures are in question.
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