U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday that President Donald Trump's administration will begin winding down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. The program has protected from deportation nearly 800,000 immigrants who were brought to the Unites States illegally as children.
Started by former President Barack Obama by executive order in 2012, DACA has allowed those immigrants to go to college and obtain jobs, legally. Now, the Trump administration is asking Congress to find a legislative solution to illegal immigration in the next six months.
Once that time is up, DACA as we know it will likely no longer be in effect.
Here's what Indiana leaders have to say about the future of DACA:
Indiana University President Michael McRobbie
"Indiana University is deeply disappointed in the Trump administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, especially in light of the administration's prior statements expressing support for young people protected by DACA and the strong bipartisan support that exists nationwide for maintaining the program," McRobbie said in a statement.
"We thank House Speaker Paul Ryan and other important national leaders who have expressed their support for DACA immigrants, and we join those individuals and organizations that urge swift, fair and compassionate congressional action in the next six months to codify the provisions of the DACA policy into law and remove any question of uncertainty for the roughly 800,000 beneficiaries enrolled in the program."
McRobbie said the university will remain committed to welcoming DACA students and creating a "safe and civil community." He referred students the DACA @ IU website for more information.
To read the full statement, click here.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Chancellor Nasser Paydar
"This decision strikes at the very core of our values as an institution of higher learning dedicated to providing an education enriched by a multiplicity of perspectives and ideas," Paydar said in an email release. "Our hope at IUPUI is that in the next six months, Congress will work to keep the doors of opportunity open for DACA students across the nation.
"Education and research at IUPUI are greatly strengthened by the presence and contributions of a wide variety of perspectives and voices, a richness of perspective that reflects the depth and breadth of our student, faculty, and staff populations at IUPUI and speaks to the increasingly global nature of the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana as a whole. Our DACA students and alumni add immeasurably to that richness in the talent they bring to our campus, our city, our state, and our nation."
To read Paydar's full statement, click here.
U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-IN
“I continue to believe we must secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system," Young said in a statement Tuesday. "Irrespective of today’s announcement, that requires a bipartisan solution in Congress that reforms our legal immigration system, prevents illegal immigration, and addresses the question of what to do with undocumented men, women and children already here."
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-IN
"Our country is still in need of reforms to fix our immigrations system and strengthen border security," Donnelly said in a statement posted to Twitter. "But in the interim we should pass bipartisan legislation to give these young people, who were brought here through no fault of their own, some clarity and stability.
"Upending existing protections for the nearly 10,000 young people in Indiana who have been living here for most of their lives isn't the path we should take."
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