PSU signs letter to Congress in support of Dreamers

Penn State has pledged its support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients by endorsing an open letter sent to Congress that urges legislators to protect the immigration program.

DACA was developed in 2012 during President Barack Obama’s second term. The program allows undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before they turned 16 to receive protection from deportation orders and eligibility for work permits for up to two years. Nearly 800,000 people are protected by the program, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

After President Donald Trump was elected in November, the immigrant community and DACA recipients or “Dreamers” expressed anxiety around the future of the program considering Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Penn State’s endorsement of the open letter to Congress is the second time that the university has pledged support for DACA since Trump was elected.

In December, Penn State President Eric Barron signed a letter along with more than 600 university leaders calling for DACA to be upheld, but after months of consideration, Trump announced in September that he is rescinding the program and he urged congress to pass legislation to save the program’s protections before it is phased out in six months.

On Tuesday, Politico reported that a group of key Republicans have begun discussions on how to protect Dreamers. The report is another in a flurry of activity in Congress around the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which is legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for people who have DACA protection or are undocumented and graduate from U.S. high schools, attend college, enter the workforce or enlist in the military.

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Penn State, said Trump’s decision to rescind the program and place its future in the hands of Congress, was one that didn’t have to be made.

“I don’t think that he needed to rescind DACA in order to push or encourage Congress to pass the DREAM Act,” Wadhia said. “He could have preserved DACA and also encouraged congress to pass the Dream Act, so I reject any type of a thought that it was an either-or scenario.”

Penn State joined nearly 800 other colleges and universities with its endorsement of the letter to Congress, which was authored by the American Council of Education and the Association of Public Land-grant Universities. Wadhia said signing the letter is another area where Penn State and Barron have shown leadership in defense of DACA following the election and the rescission announcement.

“We have ‘DACAmented’ individuals throughout Pennsylvania and at universities across the country including Penn State,” Wadhia said. “So I think it’s really important for the individual at the helm to send a message of inclusivity and support to those who are making such extraordinary contributions to our educational institution.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 12:43 AM with the headline "PSU signs letter to Congress in support of Dreamers."