June 15, 2022
In honor of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) recognizes the role DACA has played in providing access to higher education, employment, and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of undocumented students.
To build diverse and inclusive campuses, college education must be accessible to any student who desires an education. While DACA has provided a path to higher education and work for about 825,000 individuals since 2012, many undocumented children and families have fallen through the cracks since the elimination by the Trump administration of new DACA applications five years ago.
Our campuses are stronger when more perspectives are represented and, as leaders of inclusive excellence in higher education, we recognize a student’s academic promise is not determined by citizenship status. Undocumented students make significant contributions to college and university campus life and to their chosen professions. The degree, job, and income attainment provided to Dreamers benefits not only those individuals and their families but their communities and the broader social and economic systems in our country. These benefits are well documented, and should not be ignored. Every undocumented student deserves the same shot at social and economic mobility.
While NADOHE applauds the Biden administration’s efforts to “preserve and fortify” DACA, congressional inaction has left Dreamers in a precarious position, unsure of future protection. Dreamers who have lived, studied, and worked in the United States deserve protection, stability, and freedom from fear of deportation. Undocumented students can only thrive when they know they are safe and can decide their own future. We call on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to provide a pathway to citizenship for those who call the U.S. home.
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The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) is the preeminent voice for chief diversity officers. As the leader of the national conversation on diversity, equity, and inclusion, it investigates, influences, and innovates to transform higher education so that inclusive excellence lives at its core.