Today, lawyers representing the University of California are appearing before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue that the Trump administration acted unlawfully when in 2017 it sought to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA.
We are proud to be part of a university system that seeks to uphold the civil and privacy rights of all its community members regardless of immigration status. We are stronger as a university system, and as a campus community, when we stand united. UC Santa Cruz is built on a foundation of social justice, and our commitment to the rights of our students and employees, no matter their immigration status, is essential to that foundation.
DACA protections must be made permanent. The policy has been invaluable for roughly 700,000 undocumented young people. It has enabled them to go to college, to work, and to live without fear of deportation. They know our country as home. They are business owners, employees, taxpayers, and military members. And they are students with families, friends, and deep human connections in communities across our state and country. This is why we must go beyond DACA. Our values do not allow us to leave behind older students, families, and our community members who do not meet the DACA criteria. The stratification of human beings through immigration policies hurts us all.
We proudly stand alongside them and the thousands of others impacted by this administration's capricious decision to end DACA. UC as a whole, and UC Santa Cruz as a campus, will continue to provide a safe and supportive environment for students and employees of every immigration status including DACA, non-DACA, Temporary Protected Status, and undocumented. UC Santa Cruz police will not aid any effort to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law.
Over the past several weeks, our undocumented student community has asked for more than just an email voicing support. We are committed to continuing that conversation and to better supporting our students. Thank you for your advocacy and partnership as we face the uncertainty of this court case and beyond. We are committed to facing it together.
In a previous message, we shared important immigration resources compiled by both system and campus officials. We share them again today.
