Press Releases
09/05/2017
Gov. Malloy, Lt. Gov. Wyman, and State’s Higher Education Leaders Blast President Trump’s Decision on DACA
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, UConn President Susan Herbst, and Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) President Mark Ojakian are strongly criticizing a decision announced today by President Trump that he will terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, putting the futures of over 800,000 young people across the country in jeopardy through no fault of their own. They are calling on Congress to take action as soon as possible to reverse this ill-conceived action.
“President Trump’s wrong-minded decision to turn back the clock on DACA is completely nonsensical,” Governor Malloy said. “From elementary and secondary education, to post-secondary education, to supports for vibrant, safe communities – we have invested so much into undocumented children who have grown up in America. Denying these youths with access to work opportunities and affordable higher education goes against the very core of who we are. The fact is, pushing these young, gifted individuals into the shadows not only diminishes their chance for a bright future, but it darkens ours, too. We know that our state stands to benefit from welcoming Dreamers, and their talents, to our communities and our workplaces. The rollback of DACA would be a disastrous mistake for not only Dreamers, but our entire nation. I urge Congress to act swiftly to reverse this misguided action and enact protections for the over 10,000 youth in Connecticut, and hundreds of thousands more across the country, who are now at risk through no fault of their own.”
“I strongly condemn President Trump’s action to rescind DACA,” Lt. Governor Wyman said. “Dreamers throughout the nation, including those in Connecticut, are engaged in our communities, our economy, and our tax rolls. Purposefully tipping hundreds of thousands of residents into crisis is terrible policymaking, and tearing them from the only home they have ever known is just heartless. We are a nation proudly built by immigrants just like the Dreamers. Men and women who work hard and contribute, who are informed, and who love this nation. Given the opportunity, they will build a strong future and leave a bright legacy for us all.”
“The young people who are the beneficiaries of the DACA program were brought to the United States when they were children or teenagers,” UConn President Herbst said. “Today, students in the DACA program who are enrolled at UConn have proven themselves to be talented, hard-working and ambitious, which is how they gained admission and why they are succeeding academically. Like all of our graduates, after earning their degrees they can continue to lead positive, productive lives, contributing to our economy and our communities. Above all, these bright young people are striving to succeed. That sense of hope and opportunity represents the great promise of the United States and our higher education system. Today’s action would have us turn our backs on them. That is cruel, unjustified and ultimately self-defeating.”
“The news today of the Trump Administration’s cancellation of the DACA program is heartbreaking and will have a devastating impact on some of the state's best students,” CSCU President Ojakian said. “There are some 800,000 young men and women protected by DACA nationwide, many of them here in Connecticut. These DACA students were brought as children to the United States and for many of them, Connecticut is the only place they’ve called home. We are extremely proud of our students – they are doing everything we expect them to do as engaged young people pursuing their dreams of higher education. Many have double majors and all are working hard despite the day-to-day fear of knowing their families may be deported at any moment. The fundamental responsibility of a public education institution is to foster learning, innovation, and strong communities to any student willing to put in the work to learn and achieve. We have and will continue to fight for DACA students in our CSCU community. That is why we advocated fervently to our legislators in favor of allowing our Dreamers access to their own institutional aid, and one of our universities was selected to host DACA students from states where they could not attend higher education institutions. We stand with Connecticut’s DACA students and those across this country and urge Congress to finally take action to protect these young Americans.”
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