On September 5th, the Trump Administration announced that it will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The College Access Consortium of New York (CACNY) Inc. fully supports the rights of DACA recipients and urges our elected officials on both the federal and state level to act now to protect them.
As a non-profit member based consortium composed of over 500 members representing secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, and community based education support programs from all five boroughs of New York City and beyond; it is imperative and incumbent upon CACNY to voice its support and call for collective action from all who desire to protect and address the needs of secondary and postsecondary students affected by this decision.
According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, an estimated 42,000 NY residents are recipients of DACA benefits, representing an estimated $2.5 billion in GDP that could potentially be lost due to the pending rescission of DACA. In solidarity with the New York State Association of College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC), our state (SUNY) and our city (CUNY) university systems, CACNY calls upon our New York State legislators to pass the New York State DREAM Act, or similar legislation that would resolve the ambiguous status of some of our most vulnerable students. Initial legislation for a NY DREAM Act was introduced in 2011; currently this legislation has still not been passed. In these uncertain times, we cannot wait any longer - our young people need this legislation now.
On July 20, 2017, Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the DREAM Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible immigrant youth. On July 26, Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced a version in the House of Representatives. The legislation would also provide certain undocumented students the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents, allowing these individuals to work and study in the United States. The DREAM Act would also allow states to grant in-state tuition to DREAMers — making a college degree more affordable for thousands of students.
CACNY calls upon the US Congress to pass the Federal DREAM Act; send a letter to your representative by visiting NACAC’s Legislative Center or using the URL: https://t.co/YMALDyfh1h
CACNY urges its members to share the information linked with their DACA students for CUNY campus based and citywide immigration assistance centers. http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/citizenship-now/services/daca/
In Solidarity,
CACNY Board of Directors
Candice Clawson
Camille Hall
Malika Harris
Ralph Johnson
Dawan Julien
Emmanuel Moses
Tania Ortiz-Ashby
Shameek Robinson
Jessica Sasko
Marilyn Sommer
Daniel Tejada
Latiqua Washington
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CACNY - Membership. Access. Success.
