SBCCD urges U.S. Supreme Court to protect Dreamers: Chancellor Bruce Baron
By Chancellor Bruce Baron
Recently, the San Bernardino Community College District celebrated Undocumented Student Week of Action with workshops at Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College to help “Dreamers,” or young people brought to this country by undocumented parents.
In some cases, their lack of documentation came as a shock. Maybe it preempted a driver’s license, a job, or even signing up for college.
Because President Obama took action in 2012, a specific group of young people is protected from deportation as long as they stay on a path to school and jobs. The federal program is called DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
Sometimes you hear them say that they are “DACAmented.” I’m proud that they are so talented and so optimistic and such a benefit to our community.
We know from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that immigration “has an overall positive impact on the long-run economic growth in the U.S.” Add higher education, and immigrants are even more likely to boost the economy.
So why would the Trump administration want to rescind DACA?
No federal court has found DACA to be unconstitutional, and numerous decisions have struck down efforts to terminate this program.
The San Bernardino Community College District has joined more than 164 colleges and universities from across the country in signing onto a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief supporting the roughly 700,000 young immigrants who hold DACA status.
Basically, this “friend of the court” message says that colleges and universities consider DACA students to be a benefit to our institutions, not a drain. We are proud of their accomplishments, and we know our communities are better off because they are here.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments Nov. 12, and a decision is not likely for months. But when it comes, it could protect — or endanger — many of our hard-working students in the San Bernardino Community College District.
To help them, we were one of the first community colleges to open a Dreamers Resource Center at San Bernardino Valley College in 2015. It offers resources to students for enrolling and staying eligible for classes and residency. California has been proactive on this issue since 2001 when AB 540 passed into law. It allows undocumented students who meet specific qualifications to pay in-state tuition rates.
Our Board of Trustees has been very clear in their direction on this. We are proud to provide a welcome for all students regardless of their immigration status.
That is why we have many programs that offer support to young people from every background. One of them is a partnership with the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino to scale up outreach to students and their families about the benefits of college and career training.
That is also why the Office of the California Attorney General invited me, along with other higher education leaders, to share best practices in San Bernardino about how we protect Dreamer students on campus so they can focus on their studies. A law known as SB 54, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, restricts state agencies, including community colleges, from collaborating with federal immigration law enforcement.
The triumph of DACA students is our triumph.
With DACA, Dreamers have been able to pursue educational opportunities, move into higher-skilled jobs, participate in the formal economy, and achieve self-reliance. They help grow the American tax base through their spending and by paying billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes. Dreamers’ work permits have enabled them to work hard and purchase cars, homes and other goods and services that fuel our economy.
Join me in supporting these young people who want to learn and contribute to our communities just the same as American-born students do.
About SBCCD
San Bernardino Community College District serves 27,000 students through Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College. For nearly 100 years, our colleges have provided access to affordable higher education and career training programs for the residents of Big Bear Lake, Bloomington, Calimesa, Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Highland, Lake Arrowhead, Loma Linda, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino and Yucaipa. We educate the health care professionals that serve our medical needs, veterans who have served our country, police and firefighters who keep us safe, and skilled workers who fuel our economy. Beyond our campuses, we inform and inspire learners of all ages through EMPIRE | KVCR, the PBS and NPR affiliate station for Inland Southern California on TV channel 24 and 91.9 FM.
Board of Trustees
John Longville, President
Dr. Anne L. Viricel, Vice President
Joseph Williams, Clerk
Gloria Macias Harrison, Member
Dr. Stephanie Houston, Member
Frank Reyes, Member
Dr. Donald L. Singer, Member
Elijah Gerard, Student Trustee
Maritza Mariscal-Medina, Student Trustee
Chancellor
Bruce R. Baron
Presidents
Dr. Kevin Horan, Crafton Hills College
Diana Z. Rodriguez, San Bernardino Valley College
