Supreme Court allows DACA to stand
La Suprema Corte permite que la DACA se mantenga
Colorado Mountain College celebrates with DACA recipients after court decision
June 18, 2020
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that overturns the administration’s attempt to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The court stated that the Trump administration did not correctly follow procedural steps before deciding to terminate the DACA program. This means that the DACA program can continue for now.
DACA provides protection from deportation and the ability to work in the United States for those who qualify and register in the program, and enabled more than half a million undocumented students to enroll in colleges and universities in the United States.
“This decision from the Supreme Court reflects strict adherence to the rule of law and corresponds with the overwhelming majority of Americans’ support of some of the best and brightest students and workers in the United States,” said CMC President and CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser. “From kindergarten to postsecondary education, our nation has consistently invested in Dreamers, and this decision allows our nation to be able to fully benefit from these educational investments. We celebrate this decision alongside DACA recipients and their families.”
CMC has long supported students and employees who have been authorized by the federal government to work in the U.S.
Recognizing the unique financial circumstances of DACA students, in 2018 CMC created Fund Sueños, a financial assistance program for students ineligible for federal financial aid, the first program of its kind in the nation. Fund Sueños uses no taxpayer money; it is entirely funded through private philanthropy. In 2019, a year after CMC created Fund Sueños, the Colorado Legislature passed a law permitting access to state financial aid for most undocumented students in the state, which provides CMC students with additional access to financial assistance.
In October 2019, CMC joined over 165 colleges and universities from across the country in signing an amicus brief supporting over 700,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children and who are entitled to protection under the DACA program. This “friend of the court” brief was coordinated by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
At the time of the signing of the amicus brief, Hauser said, “DACA recipients are American in every way; they built their lives here and contribute to our state and region, our campuses and communities, and our local economies every day. Our college – which has been open and accessible to all students since its founding in 1965 – is proud to support DACA recipients; we believe in standing up for and protecting vulnerable populations when their futures are in question.
“DACA has provided work authorization and protection from deportation to numerous Dreamers, enabling them to better support themselves and their families financially, build their careers, sustain a healthy workforce and access higher education,” she said.
In January 2018, the elected CMC Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to endorse immigration reform and in support of CMC students who have benefited from the DACA program.
The board stated then in its resolution, “The CMC Board of Trustees stands with the nation’s leaders to express its strongest support for meaningful and permanent immigration reform, including legal status and citizenship opportunities for our Dreamer children who know no other home outside the United States of America, and authorizes college management to join in local, regional, state and national efforts urging for such a solution.”
“It is indeed a wonderful day,” exclaimed President Hauser after hearing of the court’s decision. “However, the work to safeguard the hopes and dreams of all Americans is not finished. Today’s decision closes one chapter in this decades-long process, but additional steps are needed to provide assurances to our immigrant families. It is time for Congress to act — once and for all — in passing permanent legislation to support these Americans and secure their future prosperity in our great nation.”
