Dear Pomona College community,
We write to share with you the latest update on federal and state developments affecting the College community. With so much happening, including potential impacts to immigration and government services, we want to begin by acknowledging the stress and uncertainty being felt by members of our campus community. Today, we’ll highlight four recent developments we are tracking closely.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a set of bills related to ongoing federal immigration enforcement activities that included Senate Bill 98, which specifies a set of requirements that affect K-12 schools, colleges and universities immediately and through January 1, 2031. Pomona is now working with the Claremont Colleges to ensure we are fully prepared to satisfy this legal requirement, which includes the obligation to:
- Notify, to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law, all students, faculty, staff and other community members who work on campus when an immigration enforcement presence is confirmed on campus.
- Include in the notice:
- The date, time and location of the confirmed immigration enforcement presence.
- A hyperlink to the institutional webpages that provide theinstitutional policy limiting assistance with federal law enforcement to the fullest extent consistent with state and federal law and to the guidance that informs individuals of their rights under state and federal immigration laws.
Senate Bill 98 aligns with our own commitment to inform this community should any immigration enforcement action occur on our campus, ensuring we are well-positioned to comply with these new regulations. As we have stated previously, should such actions develop, the College will do everything in its power to protect the legal rights of each and every one ofour students.
We have posted protocol information and FAQs that offer details about steps to take if such enforcement actions occur at Pomona. (To access this material, log in to the my.pomona.edu portal.) Please note that the College also provides extensive citizenship and immigration-related resources.
- Gov. Newsom also signed into law Senate Bill 627, which would prohibit federal officers from wearing masks during their operations. However, because established Supreme Court precedents hold that state and local authorities do not have the power to arrest federal officers for official actions, legal experts have raised strong doubts that this bill is enforceable.
- As you may have seen, the White House issued a Proclamation this month that, effective September 21, imposes an additional, one-time fee of$100,000 on employers seeking to use H-1B visas to employ foreign nationals in the U.S. This Proclamation is valid for one year. Per subsequent information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “H-1B renewals” are not subject to this new fee. The College is working directly with H-1B visa holders and encourages any employee with specific concerns that have not yet been addressed to contact your dean or supervisor. We also recognize that this decision creates complications and concerns for members of our international alumni community and hope the emerging updates and clarifications from the federal government are proving useful.
If international students have any questions about these matters, please contact Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services Kathy Quispe. - Finally, there is a growing risk that Congress and the White House will not complete negotiations on new appropriations for the next federal fiscal year, which would result in a federal government shutdown effective October 1. If that happens, we do not know how long subsequent negotiations to end theshutdown would last.
Historically, short-term shutdowns have not significantly impacted higher education. Areas that can be affected include federal review of research proposals, allocation of new federal research grants and the processing ofapplications for changes in immigration status and new H-1B visas, none ofwhich usually impact our students, faculty or staff. Because most federal financial aid programs are funded a year in advance and such funds are paid at the start of the semester, a shutdown is unlikely to affect student aid.
We do recognize, however, that a shutdown could affect many other areas of our national life, including furloughing federal workers, reducing services to veterans and closing national parks and museums, as well as undercutting the broader economy. We continue to hope the impasse is resolved. Should the shutdown happen, we encourage any students or employees facing direct personal impacts to contact student affairs or your dean or supervisor, respectively.
We will continue to keep you informed as other federal developments emerge that impact the College community.
Sincerely,
Brent Carbajal
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College
Avis Hinkson
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Jeff Roth
Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer