Luther president releases statement in reaction to the ending of DACA

Luther College President Paula Carlson has released a statement in the wake of President Trump's decision Tuesday to end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy which covers illegal immigrants who entered the country as children.

Said Carlson, "In light of President Trump's action today to rescind the protections provided by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, I write to reaffirm our commitment to all of our students.  We are committed to being a global learning community that welcomes, supports and celebrates people of all faiths and backgrounds.

The DACA program granted temporary reprieve from threat of deportation to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and enabled them to obtain work permits. Today so many of these bright and talented young people are working, are studying at colleges and universities, and have enlisted in the armed services. The president's action today provides a six-month grace period before going into effect, but it is unclear how that deferral will affect individuals, generating fear and anxiety for many.

Joining with hundreds of other colleges, we have asked the president and our legislators to commit to allowing those students affected to continue to work and study in the U.S. and will continue to monitor the situation.

We are committed to providing support and care to students affected by this decision. Students at Luther can be assured the executive action will not affect the institutional financial aid students receive; for students no longer legally permitted to work on campus, the college is committed to working with them to identify the resources needed to remain enrolled and complete their education at Luther; the college will continue to advocate at the state and national level on behalf of affected students; Luther College does not consider citizenship status when making admission decisions; campus Safety and Security does not collect immigration status information from students; and the college does not disclose private information about our students, faculty or staff unless specifically required to do so by law."

Carlson said a public information session on campus with an immigration attorney is being planned.  More information on that event will be provided when available.