Commitment to Our DACA Students and Families

Dear SCCCD Colleagues and students,

Last night's Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision, dealt a blow to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program. The court ruled that the Obama administration did not have the legal authority to create the DACA program.

Despite the ruling, the appeals court did not order the current Biden administration to shut down DACA, nor stop processing renewal applications. While the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals left the current policy intact for current DACA recipients, the government will continue to be prohibited from approving first-time DACA applications. The court's decision allows current DACA recipients to avoid immediate disruption to their lives and to seek extensions of their DACA status.

Locally, we understand that this uncertainty can be extremely difficult and has caused fear and anxiety for many DACA students and their families and friends. To that end, each of the colleges at State Center has services available to all students to deal with the flood of emotions they may be feeling. Additionally, DACA, undocumented students, and their families will continue to be supported through our college's Dream Centers.

Our level of commitment to our students remains unchanged.

We will continue to analyze the ruling and issue further communication. We are a state-funded institution, and we are required to follow federal and state laws. At the same time, we will continue to closely follow the changes to the DACA program and pledge to work with state and federal officials to ensure our students continue to persist despite a changing legal landscape.

As encouraged by our Interim State Chancellor, "please reassure our undocumented and DACA students, potential students, and staff, that they can enroll and stay enrolled in California's public colleges and universities."

For additional resources to help support all undocumented California Community Colleges students visit this section of the Chancellor's Office website.

Dr. Carole Goldsmith
Chancellor