Dear Pomona College Community:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 12 is expected to begin hearing oral arguments in a case that may determine the fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as DACA.
For everyone in our community affected by the ongoing uncertainty over DACA: We support you and we stand with you.
Pomona College has joined 165 institutions of higher education in filing an amicus brief in support of DACA. Beyond the courts, we will continue to push for legislative action as another path for expanding and upholding DACA. And on our campus, we will extend our support to all affected, whether undocumented or currently holding DACA status.
In the quest for true social justice, the Dreamers’ struggle epitomizes the highest aspirations and ideals of our nation. We must keep pressing for action on this urgent issue affecting hundreds of thousands of young people.
We also are offering tangible assistance in our campus community, including offering legal resources through the Sagehen Pro Bono Network, funds for DACA renewal applications, emergency grants and mental health and wellness counseling. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Dean of Students Avis Hinkson or Daniel Caballero, assistant director for first-generation & undocumented student programs.
The struggle over DACA and wider issues surrounding immigration has gone on for years, and, even with oral arguments on the DACA case starting next week, it’s quite possible the Supreme Court will not make a ruling until as late as June 2020. As the months go by, we must not grow weary of speaking out.
What’s at stake in this larger issue of compassion and human decency for all is painfully evident in the widely-publicized recent story of Cristian Padilla Romero ’18. He is fighting to keep his mother, an undocumented immigrant with Stage 4 cancer and in need of ongoing medical attention, from being deported after she was stopped while driving in Georgia.
From Yale University, where Cristian is now pursuing his Ph.D., to our own campus and alumni community, people across the country are speaking out and providing resources in an effort to prevent deportation.
This situation is just one of countless painful stories playing out nationwide, sometimes in the public eye and sometimes out of view to all but a few. As members of our community face ongoing uncertainty and fear, let us all stand together – and stand up for what is right.
With best wishes,
Gabi