Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Moments ago, the White House announced a plan to rescind in six months the protections offered to some 800,000 people registered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

This morning, I write to you to affirm in the strongest possible terms that the University of Puget Sound supports our DACA and undocumented students and will continue to do all we can—ethically, morally, and legally—to maintain that support.

The university is in close conversation with our legal counsel regarding the implications of President Trump’s decision to advise students, as needed, about matters such as reapplication during the six-month period and provide the best resources regarding questions they have. I encourage any DACA student to meet directly with Student Financial Services counselors regarding your Puget Sound education's continued support.

In addition to our students, our attention must turn now to Congress, particularly our Washington state delegation, to urge their support for DACA's continuation. Over the weekend, I joined with presidents of other institutions in Washington state to release a statement to this effect, which reads in part:

“The lamentable decision to end DACA threatens to rob us of hundreds of thousands of gifted, hardworking, and dedicated young people who are American in every way but their immigration status….all of our students, regardless of their immigration status, are invaluable to the teaching we provide in our classrooms, the research we perform in our labs, and the discoveries we make in medicine. These students and those who came before them are not strangers on our campuses, in our communities, or our homes. They are our sons and daughters, neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family. They are us.”

Throughout the semester, we will keep the campus community updated on our efforts. For more information, please see Resources for Undocumented Persons.

To our undocumented and DACA students, please know: you are not alone.

Sincerely,

Isiaah
Isiaah Crawford, Ph.D. | President