DEI's Stance on the DACA Decision

Together with Chancellor May, we celebrate today’s Supreme Court decision to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in place, protecting nearly 650,000 undocumented young people from deportation. 

We are proud of the leadership of our UC Davis AB540 and Undocumented Student Center, which has and will continue to provide resources, and support, as well as place, both physical and virtual, for students to find community and allyship. It is also a good moment to remind the campus of UC policies and practices related to undocumented members of our UC community.

While this decision is a promising step in the right direction, there is still more work to be done to support our undocumented community.  

It is important to note that this decision is not a permanent solution for Dreamers. Only returning DACA participants are the only ones able to renew status. Many graduate and professional students utilize work permits through DACA, and will continue to be able to work as teaching assistants and researchers. However, we continue to serve many undocumented undergraduate students who aged into potential eligibility too late to take advantage of the program. 

Because the Supreme Court’s decision was based on a procedural technicality, the White House will likely continue its efforts to put an end to the DACA program and can bring a new argument back to the court. As a named plaintiff in the Supreme Court case, the University of California has and will continue to be a leader in advocating dreamers at a national level. Meanwhile, we continue to call on Aggies to be agents for change and opportunity. 

We stand with our DACA and undocumented community in rejecting false characterizations of DACA recipients and other members of the undocumented community. 

This ruling is a positive step for our talented, passionate, and motivated young people here at UC Davis and around the country who want to continue to make meaningful contributions to our country. We will continue to fight with you.