SDCCD Resolves to Protect Students

In a show of support to students living in fear of the new presidential administration, the Board of Trustees of the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) has pledged its support to all students regardless of migratory status, religion, or ethnic and national background. 
Passed last Thursday, the resolution urges President Donald Trump to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program which was signed by former president Barack Obama in 2012. This program allows people who arrived in the Unites States and were age 31 or younger in June of 2012 to be protected from deportation and to have official identification. 
The SDCCD joins a long list of campuses and districts nationwide promoting this initiative to protect students who may feel threatened under this new administration’s stance on undocumented immigrants. The University of California, California State University, and the California Community Colleges have all publicly made similar resolutions or declarations in regard to the DACA program. 
“The board resolution reflects the values of the district’s faculty, administrators, staff, and student leaders,” said SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll. “The campus presidents and I have sent a message to students, sharing the board resolution and assuring them that we will do everything in our power to support their educational opportunities despite the challenges that may be on the horizon.” 
The resolution explicitly states that it will support the rights of its students, including those without legal status to reside in the United States. 
The resolution affirmed the district’s support for its diverse student population, including those who may lack legal authorization to be in the United States. It also committed to not cooperating with any federal effort aimed at creating a registry of individuals based religion, national origin, race or sexual orientation. 
The resolution also prevents immigration officials from being on campus absent legal authority and pledges to avoid acting on behalf of federal agencies enforcing immigration laws. 
“Our goal in passing this resolution is simple and straightforward,” Board President Maria Nieto Senour said. “We value each and every one of our students, so our priority is to provide high-quality educational opportunities for all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, heritage, national origin, religion, immigration status, gender identity or medical condition.”