Elon University President Leo M. Lambert has issued a statement regarding the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
President Leo M. Lambert statement on the decision to end the DACA program
I am deeply disappointed that Attorney General Sessions has announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program within six months, which has benefited hundreds of thousands of talented young people who were brought here as children and know no other home than the United States. I agreed with the President’s earlier statements that we “love the dreamers,” because so many are enrolled in college, working hard every day, paying taxes, serving in the military and contributing to the strength of our communities. Holding these young people hostage when Congress has failed over many, many years to create a legislative solution for their dilemma strikes me as cruel and inhumane.
We must now insist upon a bipartisan effort in Congress to create a permanent solution that will allow these young people to continue their studies and work in the United States. I join higher education and business leaders across the country in offering assistance to craft new policies over the next six months. The statement of the American Council on Education, for example, can be found here: http://bit.ly/2eGlrYg
I urge the members of the Elon community to reach out to their representatives in Congress and ask for swift action on new legislation of which we can all be proud.
September 5, 2017