University President Fr. John Jenkins released a statement Tuesday condemning the repeal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the program would end.
“A decision to discontinue DACA would be foolish, cruel and un-American,” Jenkins said in the statement. “Foolish because it drives away talented people the country needs; cruel because it abandons people who have done nothing wrong and have known life only in the United States; and un-American because we have always welcomed immigrants to our land of opportunity.”
Jenkins promised Notre Dame would continue to advocate for DACA students.
“In coming days, I hope to meet with congressional leaders to argue for a permanent fix to this pressing problem,” he said in the statement. “In the meantime, Notre Dame will continue to support DACA students financially, maintain their enrollment even if Congress fails to act and provide expert legal assistance should it become necessary.”
