Harvey Mudd Reaffirms Support for Dreamers

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

This morning, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump was rescinding the Obama-era executive order that created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security will discontinue all new applications to the program immediately. Those whose DACA permits expire between now and March 5, 2018, can apply for a two-year renewal by Oct. 5.

Last Spring, I joined with nearly 650 other College presidents in signing a Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program circulated by David Oxtoby, president emeritus of Pomona College. There are nearly 800,000 “Dreamers” in this country; more than 220,000 in California alone. Given today’s announcement, I wanted to email everyone to let our DACA students know that Harvey Mudd College supports you during this incredibly difficult and frightening time. I also know that many of you have friends or loved ones who are adversely affected by today’s decision. Please know that the faculty, staff, students and trustees of Harvey Mudd College are among the millions of Americans who believe that you should have the right to pursue a college education, to live without the constant fear of deportation and to have an opportunity to make a positive impact on our community.

I want to remind students who may be impacted by this recent decision, or who may have friends or family members who may be affected, that they can reach out to several resources here at Harvey Mudd and within The Claremont Colleges for support. Dean Michelle in the Office of Health and Wellness and Dean Zack in the Office of Institutional Diversity are available, as well as any of our proctors, on-call deans and student affairs staff. The Monsour Counseling Center also is available. In addition, the Chicanx/Latinx Studies faculty are holding space today at 6 p.m. at CLSA to process, be in community and learn more about the potential implications of today’s decision. There will be a call-in with Immigration Attorney Paula Gonzales to answer any questions you may have.

The Claremont Colleges are working to assemble a list of additional legal and other resources, and I will share this information as it becomes available. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to call your elected representatives and ask for their support in preserving the intent of DACA. Harvey Mudd strives to be an inclusive and welcoming community to all. As a community, we strongly reject discrimination in all its forms, and we pledge to work together so that we may better address the challenges facing society today.

Sincerely,

Maria

Maria M. Klawe
President, Harvey Mudd College