President Cruz’s Statement to the Campus Community on DACA

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President Jose Luis Cruz

“Yesterday, I issued the following statement on behalf of the Lehman College:

‘The six-month stay of execution of the DACA program does not do justice to the hard work of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated young people whose undocumented status is simply an artifact of our country’s long-standing role as a beacon of hope.

‘It is now up to Congress to choose national values over political expediency. Extending permanent legal status to our nation’s dreamers is the only path forward.

‘In the meantime, Lehman College remains fully committed to serving our remarkable immigrant students as they work to meet their full potential in the country they are proud to call home."

Today, I am compelled to express my personal indignation not only with the flawed, cruel, and cynical underpinnings of the administration’s decision, but also the flipness with which the lives of over 800,000 of our friends, students, neighbors, and family members have been treated.  Facing national outrage, the president tweeted last night that if Congress can’t “legalize” DACA in the next six months, he is willing to revisit the issue.  Why wait, Mr. Trump? Policies firmly grounded on moral arguments deserve to be treated with the urgency of now.

To our Lehman Dreamers: The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs is available to help you access campus and community resources. It is located in Shuster Hall, room 204. You can reach the office by calling 718-960-8242 or 8241.

To all members of our campus community: Provost Fayne and Vice President Magdaleno are working with students, faculty and staff on a series of events to support our dreamers and activate our values.  Additional information will be forthcoming. I hope you will consider adding your voice, investing your time, and lending your talents on behalf of our nation’s dreamers.”