San Diego State University administrators, including Interim President Sally Roush, issued a letter — addressed to President Trump — in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program late Sunday.
The letter came after a Politico report earlier in the evening indicating that President Donald Trump was likely to end the program. Roush, Vice President of Student Affairs Eric Rivera and University Senate Chair Marcie Bobel-Michel were all named as co-authors.
The letter begins by noting that SDSU, by virtue of its location just north of the U.S.-Mexico border, is “one of the most diverse universities in this country,” and states that all students, regardless of immigration status, “are valued members of our educational community.
“You have recently expressed your personal struggle over the difficulty of reaching a decision about retaining the DACA program,” the letter continues. “As you consider your decision, we urge you to give the greatest weight to the fact that these individuals who arrived in this country too young to have made the decision to come here, or to have understood any consequent impact on their citizenship, have in fact excelled as students and as good citizens. We implore you to acknowledge these facts and urge you to retain the DACA program.”
Roush’s chief of staff, Gina Jacobs, said Monday that the university interim president’s office “felt compelled to communicate our support for our students who, regardless of their immigration status, are valued members of our educational community.”
Politico, citing “two sources familiar with (the president’s) thinking,” reported about 5:30 p.m. Pacific time that President Donald Trump would reverse the Obama-era DACA program, which was enacted in 2012 and allows some undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as children to apply for temporary protection from deportation.
DACA recipients may receive work permits and in some states, including California, they can apply for driver’s licenses.
The Politico report claimed the Trump administration would delay enforcement of the decision for six months as a concession to members of Congress who have reservations about ending the program.
Presidential aides also clarified to Politico no final decision has yet been made.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also told the news outlet that a decision had not been finalized, and an official announcement would be made Tuesday.
Even if DACA is discontinued, California State University students’ enrollment, tuition and financial aid will not be affected, per information released by the CSU Aug. 30. However, it’s still unclear whether students who work on campus will be allowed to continue doing so.
This story was updated at 4:21 p.m. on Sept. 4 to include information from the CSU and a comment from Gina Jacobs, chief of staff to SDSU interim President Sally Roush.
