Georgetown University in Washington DC released a statement supporting the new regulation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), recently announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia celebrated the importance of codifying and continuing the DACA program, however, he also highlighted the need for a permanent legislative solution that fully protects and supports young adult DACA beneficiaries. .
“We welcome all efforts to protect the DACA program, and we will continue to advocate for permanent protections and expanding DACA eligibility criteria for these youth and adults who have contributed so much to our campus and our nation,” DeGioia said.
The new regulation seeks to protect DACA from the legal challenges it currently faces, especially while awaiting the ruling before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, whose decision will be published this year.
Since November 2021, Georgetown had communicated to DHS the need to support DACA and the importance of codifying the rule. Also, in the formal comment sent to the federal agency, they asked for greater access to the program, to benefit a broader group of young people.
"At Georgetown, we stand with undocumented students because in the midst of uncertainty, these young women and men demonstrate extraordinary skills and passion to make America a better place," DeGioia said in the 2021 statement.
Also, in December 2021, Georgetown and 20 other colleges and universities joined together to urge the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold DACA in court. To do this, they delivered a legal document warning about the damage that the termination of DACA would cause to students and former students of their student community.
In the Georgetown commentary, she captured the story of a college alumna who came to the United States at the age of six accompanied by her mother. This student, despite her high average, she could not enter the university because she could not afford it. As a DACA recipient, she took a year off to save money and work.
Later, after a stint at a community college, he managed to transfer to Georgetown. In this way, she managed to be one of the 240 DACA recipients who volunteered with Teach for America, teaching underserved youth in a Washington DC public school.
In addition to this story, Georgetown's comment included more experiences from DACA recipients and college alumni who have given back to their community by supporting low-wage immigrant workers to fight for their labor rights, bringing health care to underserved communities, among other actions. .
“Throughout my college education, DACA allowed me to hold steady jobs on campus to cover the costs associated with meals, books, travel, and other necessities for college life,” explained one of the recipients mentioned in the comment.
