The following massmail was issued today.
Dear students, faculty and staff:
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, ruling that proper procedures were not followed in the effort to rescind DACA.
We are grateful that DACA will remain in effect, providing a pathway to degrees without fear of deportation. More than 450,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in colleges and universities nationally, a new study shows, including hundreds at our universities.
DACA reflects our values and our land-grant mission to open our doors wide, provide a high-quality education for every deserving student and create the next-generation workforce that is essential to move America forward.
We hope DACA will now be allowed to stand, and end the fears and uncertainty that our undocumented students have felt since the legal battle began. And we will continue to advocate for federal legislation expanding their rights through the Dream Act, which would provide an opportunity to become citizens of what for many is the only country they have ever known.
Sincerely,
Tim Killeen, President
Barb Wilson, Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Robert J. Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michael D. Amiridis, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Susan J. Koch, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Springfield
Karen M. Whitney, Interim Chancellor, University of Illinois at Springfield