We, the Moraine Valley Faculty Association, want to emphasize our commitment to DACA students and to all DREAMers. In 2012, President Obama authorized through executive order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This order allowed students to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for a work permit. This, in turn, allayed the fears of these students who arrived here as children often through no choice of their own. Many of these individuals call the United States their home, as they have known no other. The program allowed students to pursue their education and to contribute taxes through legal forms of employment; however, on September 5, 2017, President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that DACA would be terminated in six months.
We are deeply disappointed at this news which has the potential to impact 800,000 individuals—pulling families apart, and compromising the educational opportunities and aspirations of our DREAMers. All of our students deserve to be happy, feel safe, and not have to live with the fear of deportation. Therefore we declare that we stand shoulder to shoulder with you, our students, in affirmation of your dignity. We denounce attempts to use you as bargaining chips for political leverage. We are committed to helping you move forward despite the circumstances and the possible challenges that may accompany them. We offer our unwavering support and will be vigilant and proactive in working with the College administration, as well as the broader community, to ensure that all our students continue to be afforded the opportunity to achieve their educational and life goals at Moraine Valley Community College.
Approved September 28, 2017
