On Friday, Sept. 27, the University of California (UC) filed a brief in the Supreme Court challenging the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In September of 2017 the UC became the first university to sue the government after the administration announced it would end DACA.
In a statement made on Sept. 27, UC President Janet Napolitano stated that the University of California would continue their fight to protect the nearly 700,000 Dreamers here in the United States and in the UC community who are DACA recipients. Napolitano stated, “UC’s DACA students are studying to be the next generation of teachers, doctors, engineers and other professions that make life better for everyone. They are young people who simply want to continue to live, learn and contribute to the country they consider home.”
In the brief that they filed, Napolitano stated that the UC demonstrated that the Trump administration acted illegally by ending the DACA program without offering valid justification for doing so. Five federal courts have considered this issue and found that the administration’s decision was arbitrary and capricious, and therefore unlawful. “Since this lawsuit began, the University of California has sought to provide a safe and supportive environment for our DACA students — and we will continue to do so,” stated Napolitano.
In an interview with The Highlander, Andrew Gordon, the associate director of media relations stated that the UC, “filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security over the Trump administration’s plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program because rescinding the program would have a profound adverse impact on DACA recipients at the University of California and across the nation.”
In a statement released on Friday, Oct. 4, the UC also announced that hundreds of corporations, national security experts, colleges and universities and members of Congress, among others, have filed an amicus, or “friend of the court” briefs in support of DACA. John A. Perez, chair of the UC Board of Regents and speaker emeritus of the California Assembly stated, “We are pleased to be joined by so many voices in support of Dreamers.” He also added that DACA has benefited hundreds of thousands of Dreamers “who simply want to continue contributing to the country and the communities they consider home.”
Oral arguments will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
