RWU President and Latino Policy Institute director react to plan to rescind DACA program

BRISTOL, RI- Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday
announced that President Trump’s administration will end the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals program, which has allowed some 800,000 undocumented immigrants
who came to the U.S. as children to remain in the country. The administration urged
Congress to replace it with legislation before it begins phasing out the program in
six months.
In response, Roger Williams University President Donald J. Farish issued the
following statement:
In November, I joined more than 400 other college and university presidents in
calling for the continuation and expansion of the DACA program. «This is both a
moral imperative and a national necessity,» the statement said. «America needs
talent – and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States,
are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about
America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future.»
Now that the Trump administration has acted on its threat to end the DACA program, I
feel compelled to call upon our Rhode Island congressional delegation to lead the
charge in keeping DACA in place and allowing DACA students to complete their
studies. Elemental fairness requires such an action. Young people enrolled in DACA
because they were promised that their personal information was secure and would not
be shared. Now, our nation is prepared to go back on its word. If America wants to
have the respect of its own people as well as other nations, we should start by
keeping our promises.

Gabriela Domenzain, director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams
University, issued the following statement:

The administration’s announcement today that it will end DACA is jarringly cruel to
DREAMers and all who love them as friends, family members, students and colleagues.
The more than 1,200 DREAMers in Rhode Island are bright students in our
universities, hard workers in our local economy and pillars of the Latino community.
Not allowing them to thrive will impact our whole state. While DACA was never meant
to be a permanent solution, President Trump’s canceling it renews the urgency for
Congress to do its job and pass a permanent, bipartisan solution to our inhumane
immigration system – one that is informed by the reality and voices of DREAMers and
other immigrants caught in Washington’s dysfunction.

About RWU: With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence,
R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed
to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. At RWU, small
classes, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects
ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates – along with hundreds of law students,
graduate students and adult learners – graduate with the ability to think critically
along with the practical skills that today’s employers demand. Roger Williams is
leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues
facing students and families – increasing costs, rising debt and job readiness.