Brandeis Participation in DACA Case
Oct. 8, 2019
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
In anticipation of arguments next month before the Supreme Court, Brandeis has joined with 164 other universities and colleges in filing a friend of the court brief in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Since the current administration announced its intent to rescind DACA in September 2017, Brandeis has spoken out in support of the program, including through its participation in previous friend of the court briefs and in a letter to President Trump. We know this issue directly impacts our campus and numerous others, which is why we have signed on to this and prior briefs.
In the brief, the co-signing colleges and universities make a strong case for why DACA must not be rescinded. DACA provides work permits and protection from deportation to nearly 700,000 undocumented people, known as “Dreamers,” who were brought to the U.S. as children. The brief describes the attempt to rescind DACA as an “arbitrary and capricious decision [that] will harm the thousands of remarkable young people who are already DACA recipients and millions more who would seek to take advantage of the opportunities that DACA provides. But, critically, it will also harm the country, which will be deprived of the many contributions Dreamers would otherwise be able to make.”
I agree that removing these young people, many of whom have known no home other than the U.S., would be an immense loss to us all. Here at Brandeis, DACA recipient Elias Rosenfeld ’20 has been an outspoken and fearless advocate for DACA. He is one of the 11 students and recent graduates of U.S. colleges and universities whose personal stories are highlighted in the brief. As fellow Brandeisians, we should all be grateful for and proud of his advocacy.
We remain committed to the safety of our undocumented students and will continue to participate in this important public issue.
Sincerely,
Ron Liebowitz