In light of today’s announcement from Washington, D.C. concerning the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, I believe I speak for the entire CSUMB community when I state my full and unequivocal support of our DACA students.

To those students, I say: You are many of our best and brightest. Your determined pursuit of higher education, even in the face of legal uncertainty, inspires all of us. It is tragic that your futures have been caught up in the today’s polarized political atmosphere.

Let there be no question that we at CSUMB stand with you. Providing you with access to higher education is a critical part of our mission at CSUMB; preventing that access violates our campus’s basic values. In particular, we want to assure you that CSU's enrollment and tuition policies as well as financial aid eligibility will not be impacted by the DACA decision. I urge any students with questions to consult our website with information about our support services for undocumented students. The site is constantly being updated with new information specifically listing resources and events through offices such as the Otter Cross Cultural Center, the Monterey College of Law, and the Personal Growth and Counseling Center.

It is important to note that the DACA program continues to have strong advocates on both sides of the political aisle. More than 400 business leaders signed a letter to the president and congressional leaders urging continuation of the program. Educators across the nation have spoken out strongly in support of DACA. We will be watching closely to see how Congress, the courts and our country respond to this decision in the coming weeks. If the situation warrants, we will hold a campus forum to make sure everyone is fully informed about possible steps as we move forward.

In the meantime, I urge all of our DACA students to continue to pursue their educational dreams and our entire CSUMB community to support them in that effort.

I can assure you all that the CSU – the largest public four-year university system in the United States – will do everything within its power both to protect the rights of our undocumented students and to advocate for a permanent solution that will allow them to continue to live, work and study here.

In that regard, I am including a link to a letter from Chancellor Timothy White about the CSU’s position on DACA. As the chancellor states: “Our mission to provide excellent education opportunities for all Californians will not waver.”