In an Oct. 8 email to the community, University President Ron Liebowitz stated that, alongside 164 other universities and colleges in the United States, Brandeis has filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He explained that DACA “provides work permits and protection from deportation to nearly 700,000 undocumented people … who were brought to the U.S. as children.”

The University has shown its support of DACA in the past by filing earlier amicus curiae briefs and by writing a letter to President Donald Trump. Brandeis’ efforts to show support for DACA are in opposition to the Trump administration’s Sept. 2017 announcement of its intent to rescind the program, and the upcoming arguments before the Supreme Court next month. According to the National Immigration Law Center, oral arguments will be presented before the Supreme Court on Nov. 12, challenging the lawfulness of a recission of DACA. The Court is expected to make a decision prior to June 2020.

Brandeis and the other universities that co-signed the brief argue against the rescission of DACA in the belief that, without this program in place, there will be significant harm done both to DREAMers, or DACA recipients, and the country. 

Quoting the brief, Liebowitz wrote in the email, “This misguided, arbitrary and capricious decision [to rescind DACA] will harm the thousands of remarkable young people who are already DACA recipients and millions more who would seek to take advantage of the opportunities that DACA provides. But, critically, it will also harm the country, which will be deprived of the many contributions Dreamers would otherwise be able to make.”

As further mentioned in the email, this issue impacts DACA recipients in the Brandeis community, as well as in many other college communities in the country. For this reason in particular, the University has shown support through this brief.

The University “remain[s] committed to the safety of our undocumented students and will continue to participate in this important public issue,” Liebowitz wrote in the email. 

This is in accordance with Brandeis’ policies which prohibit immigration enforcement on campus and the release of information on the immigration status of students, faculty and staff.