AAU President Barbara R. Snyder issued the below statement on the Biden administration’s announcement of a final rule codifying the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program:
Since President Obama first created it more than a decade ago, DACA has allowed students at America’s leading research universities and countless other deserving young people the security to live, study, and work in the only home country they have ever known. This has produced countless benefits to our nation’s economy and research enterprise and has allowed us to retain home-grown talent.
While we welcome President Biden’s codification of the DACA rules, we continue to believe that Congress must find a permanent solution for the hundreds of thousands of undocumented students who were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own. These young people deserve better – and our nation deserves better – than the decade-plus of congressional inaction despite broad bipartisan agreement on supporting DACA beneficiaries.
These young people are Americans in every way but immigration status, and they should be able to live in their home country and contribute to its success without their futures being left to future executive or court action.
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Founded in 1900, the Association of American Universities is composed of America’s leading research universities. AAU’s 65 research universities transform lives through education, research, and innovation.
Our member universities earn the majority of competitively awarded federal funding for research that improves public health, seeks to address national challenges, and contributes significantly to our economic strength, while educating and training tomorrow’s visionary leaders and innovators.
AAU member universities collectively help shape policy for higher education, science, and innovation; promote best practices in undergraduate and graduate education; and strengthen the contributions of leading research universities to American society.