William & Mary President Taylor Reveley sent a message to the campus community Tuesday in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind an Obama-era program that allows those who came to the United States illegally as children to live in the country free from fear of deportation.
Reveley said the college will continue to welcome its students currently receiving such protection.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump released plans to discontinue the federal immigration policy called Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
“I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents,” Trump said in a written statement. “But we must also recognize that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”
The program offered protection to roughly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. DACA recipients are temporarily allowed to work and attend school within the United States.
According to William & Mary spokeswoman Suzanne Seurattan, 23 current William & Mary students have received DACA protection. Reveley pledged to support all William & Mary students, regardless of national origin or immigration status.
President Reveley’s statement is copied in its entirety below:
“Dear William & Mary Community,
The Department of Justice announced plans today to phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This program provides temporary authorization to work or attend school for undocumented people brought to the United States as children.
A lot remains unknown at this point. The Trump administration announced plans to “wind down” the program over the next six months but also suggested Congress may come up with an alternative solution during that time.
At William & Mary, 23 students are with us under the aegis of DACA. As I said last year, DACA students are important members of our community. They belong here, and we strongly believe they should be allowed to finish their educations. William & Mary will keep doing all we can to support them. Our welcome is unwavering for each W&M student, regardless of his or her national origin or immigration status.
We will work closely with Virginia’s Attorney General to better understand today’s announcement. In the meantime, we will reach out to our DACA students to assure them that William & Mary remains their staunchest ally.
The latest resources, including information about legal aid and advocacy organizations, relevant legislation, and counseling services, appear on the Reves Center DACA website: https://www.wm.edu/reves/daca.”
