Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie has issued the following statement on the filing of an amicus brief in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and the consolidated cases in front of the Supreme Court, urging the Court to stand in support of DACA recipients:
"On Oct. 4, Indiana University joined 165 colleges and universities from across the country in signing an amicus brief supporting the roughly 700,000 young immigrants who came to the United States as children and who are protected from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This "friend of the court" brief was coordinated by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
"DACA recipients contribute to our campuses, communities and our country’s economy every day. IU remains strongly committed to supporting DACA recipients, and we believe it is vital that our nation continue to maintain its support – and remove any question of uncertainty – for those protected by the program.
"As I said in a 2017 statement, issued when the administration announced it was terminating DACA, IU has seen the many benefits of this program. DACA beneficiaries enrich our campuses through their unique perspectives and experiences, help foster an educational environment that enables our students to be 'globally ready,' and enhance the cultural and economic development of our local communities.
"IU will not waver in its longstanding commitment to the diverse and inclusive environment that is essential to an excellent education and that enables all of its students – regardless of their background or country of origin – to succeed in a place where they feel valued, respected and at home."
Additional background on DACA
Since 2012, DACA has offered 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. These Dreamers have brought unique experiences and cultural perspectives to their classrooms, their campuses and their communities, while also making major contributions to our nation’s economy.
On Sept. 5, 2017, the administration announced that it was terminating the DACA program. In the past two years, multiple courts have kept renewals ongoing for current DACA recipients, but Dreamers still live court case to court case, uncertain about their futures.
The future of DACA – and the futures of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers – will be argued at the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 12. The Court could hand down a ruling as soon as February 2020, determining if Dreamers will maintain the ability to live, study and work in the U.S.