Pacific Oaks Joins College and University Presidents’ Call to Uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program

Patricia A. Breen, Ph.D., President of Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School (PO), has signed a nationwide statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and undocumented immigrant students. PO joins college and university presidents across the nation in its call to uphold and continue DACA.

“Pacific Oaks is committed to supporting educational opportunities for all of our students, as well as others who want to strive and ‘dream’. Our university’s core values are deeply rooted in expanding social justice. PO strives to ensure and to teach the principles of equal opportunity and fairness for all. DACA supports these values and opens higher education for everyone. It is imperative that we continue this important program,” said President Breen.

As leaders in higher education, the university presidents urge the business, civic, religious, and non-profit sectors to take part in the movement to protect DACA and undocumented immigrant students. As of December 8, 2016, over 500 public and private university presidents have signed the letter and offered to meet with U.S. leaders on the issue.

In June 2012, President Obama announced the DACA program, which provides temporary relief from removal proceedings for eligible undocumented young adults, as well as renewable two-year work permits. Prior to DACA, undocumented students met significant hurdles in pursuing higher education due to a lack of legal status. Under DACA, the program has released many of the burdens undocumented immigrant students face in higher education – from gaining access to in-state tuition and financial aid, to being able to work for higher wage employment, and to receiving added job security after graduation.

The statement follows below:

Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program and our Undocumented Immigrant Students

The core mission of higher education is the advancement of knowledge, people, and society. As educational leaders, we are committed to upholding free inquiry and education in our colleges and universities, and to providing the opportunity for all our students to pursue their learning and life goals.

Since the advent of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012, we have seen the critical benefits of this program for our students, and the highly positive impacts on our institutions and communities. DACA beneficiaries on our campuses have been exemplary student scholars and student leaders, working across campus and in the community. With DACA, our students and alumni have been able to pursue opportunities in business, education, high tech, and the non-profit sector; they have gone to medical school, law school, and graduate schools in numerous disciplines. They are actively contributing to their local communities and economies.

To our country’s leaders we say that DACA should be upheld, continued, and expanded. We are prepared to meet with you to present our case. This is both a moral imperative and a national necessity. America needs talent – and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States, are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future.

We call on our colleagues and other leaders across the business, civic, religious, and non-profit sectors to join with us in this urgent matter. For more information, contact support-daca@pomona.edu.