Â鶹´«Ã½

To the Â鶹´«Ã½ Community:

I am gravely disappointed in today’s White House decision to end a program that allows undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as small children to fulfill their dream of a college education without fear of deportation.

Abandoning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program runs counter to the . 

Turning our backs on these students is not who we are. At Â鶹´«Ã½, we open our doors to the world and give the best and brightest a chance to shine, no matter where they happened to be born.

Â鶹´«Ã½ is home to a dedicated community of DACA students from across the globe, including Latin America, China and the Philippines. Our AB 540 and Undocumented Student Center is a model of empowerment, opportunity and equity.

These students — many of whom are the first in their families to attend a college — contribute to our rich diversity of cultures and perspectives that is integral to our success as a global university. They are paving a future for themselves and their families so they can give back to our society. Â鶹´«Ã½ graduates who were protected from deportation under DACA have blossomed with careers in medicine, law, social work and much more. 

I stand firmly in support of these students and call on Congress to rise in defense of the DACA program to immediately pass bipartisan legislation that would provide a permanent solution for our students.

Keep the American Dream alive, for all.

Gary S. May
Chancellor