Brown U president issues pro-DACA letter after court ruling on the program's legality

The president of Brown University issued a letter of support for undocumented students and employees after a federal court ruled that DACA is illegal.

She also co-signed a letter in support of the Dream Act of 2021.

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson wrote an open letter recently in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students at the Ivy League institution.

“As always, we want our community to be assured that Brown does not share information with law enforcement regarding the immigration status of undocumented or DACA status students, and would not without a subpoena or other lawfully issued court order,” Paxson stated in the July 21 letter.

[RELATED: Campus Reform | Berkeley backs illegal students as SCOTUS hears DACA arguments]

The university president was responding to a July 16 by a Federal District Court ruling that the program is “illegal,” a decision that as of this writing blocks new applicants. President Biden has indicated that the Department of Justice will appeal the decision. 

Paxson called undocumented students and employees on campus “valued members of our community.” To that end, Brown offers programs for undocumented students such as the FLI Scholars Program and the Undocumented Students Program, which was started in 2016. 

[RELATED: Campus Reform | UC stood ready to support DACA students, ‘no matter the outcome’ of SCOTUS decision]

She had previously co-signed a letter sent to Senate Leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY), urging the Senate to pass the Dream Act of 2021, which would create a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.

Campus Reform reached out to Brown University for comment; this article will be updated accordingly.