WWU Joins Supreme Court Brief Challenging Immigration Restrictions

Western Washington University and more than 70 other member institutions of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration have signed onto an amicus brief filed today supporting plaintiffs who are challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program.

“We are proud to stand with public and private institutions from across the country in support of DACA and the opportunities it provides for hundreds of thousands of hard-working young people.  Western, like many other institutions, is greatly enriched by the contributions our undocumented students make to campus life, and we are committed to helping them be successful.  Expressing our support for keeping DACA in place until a better, permanent solution is worked out at the federal level is an essential part of that,” said Western President Sabah Randhawa.

The document, otherwise known as a “friend of the court” brief, presents compelling evidence of the vital role that the DACA program plays at the institutions and beyond, enabling thousands of previously undocumented students to successfully pursue a college degree while contributing significantly to their campuses, communities, and the nation. 

The brief also points to the serious harm that would be caused to American colleges and universities and to the nation more broadly if DACA were ended.  Representing institutions of higher education, the law firm Jenner & Block prepared and filed the amicus brief for the case of Batalla Vidal v. Trump in the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York City.     

The brief states that DACA students “form a key part of our campus life and as institutions we benefit greatly from the energy and academic excellence they bring.” And, that rescinding DACA not only harms the many remarkable young people, but “critically, it will also harm the country, which will be deprived of the many contributions Dreamers would otherwise be able to make.” 

WWU and the other college and university signatories represent the broad coalition of institutions whose leaders are members of the Presidents’ Alliance.  Located in communities spanning the political spectrum and ranging from urban centers to rural farm areas, collectively they teach and employ millions of people, and include large public universities, private research universities, small liberal arts colleges, and expansive community colleges.

 A court date for the case to be heard has not yet been set.