WHITTIER – Río Hondo College leaders on Thursday declared their support for a Supreme Court ruling that has upheld President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order that offers protections against deportation for children brought to America.
President Trump has been fighting since 2017 to end the program, which shields some 700,000 young immigrants known as “Dreamers” and allows them to work. More than 200,000 of those immigrants attend U.S. colleges and some 70,000 undocumented students attend the California Community Colleges system.
“Río Hondo College is unwavering in its commitment to providing educational access to all of our students, including our Dreamers who face the greatest barriers to pursuing their educational goals,” Superintendent/President Dr. Arturo Reyes said. “Today’s ruling really gives new life to our efforts to provide services to students who bravely pursue their dreams despite the fear of deportation and separation from their families.”
The College has supported DACA students throughout the program’s history, including supporting events to lobby legislators over preserving the protections for Dreamers and panels to share details of the life experiences of undocumented students.
“Today marks a new hope for our students and their chances for achieving their dreams. Every student has a right to an education,” said Board of Trustees President Oscar Valladares, a former Dreamer. “The fight isn’t over, but today’s ruling ends a threat to their futures they have faced for almost four years.”
The College will hold two events to mark the Supreme Court decision.
The first, a “virtual healing circle” via Zoom, is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18. Guests may log in at https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/95844360585?pwd=SHc4OTVwd2hLM2JFT001QTlRR2l6QT09 and enter password HereToStay.
The second event will be a DACA Post Decision Panel scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20. The panel will include an attorney, psychologist, non-DACA and DACA recipient, an entrepreneur and an activist. Guests are asked to RSVP at https://bit.ly/DACAPostDecisionPanel.
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RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2020
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