Maryland Colleges Urge Lawmakers To Extend DACA Protections
September 6, 2017 6:05 PM
BALTIMORE (WJZ)– A day after the president dismantled DACA, Maryland universities fire back in defense of their students.
Campuses across the state are open to program recipients who came to the U.S. as children of undocumented immigrants.
Students and universities are now looking at Congress to step in. In the meantime, those who are DACA recipients are back at school and are worried that their education is on borrowed time.
A UMBC student/DACA recipient sent a heartbreaking email to Spanish professor Ana Maria Schwartz Caballero, who’s taught at UMBC for more than three decades.
Caballero is worried that she may soon lecture to empty desks instead of eager dreamers.
“He said all he wanted was enough time to finish his education, so that if he was deported, he could take that with him,” she said. “I know these students. I know how hard they work, and I know how difficult it is to achieve their dream.”
In a letter to UMBC students and supporters, faculty said they’ve aligned with leaders from other colleges in”urging Maryland’s congressional delegation to advance legislation to maintain and extend DACA protections.”
While universities push lawmakers to protect their students, city leaders are organizing a separate effort.
“We believe that we ought to be providing services. We certainly ought to be providing education for these young people,” said Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh.
Pugh promised to back Baltimoreans in what will ultimately come down to a move on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers are beginning to address the DACA dilemma.
“If we have legislation coming through here that is worked with and supported by the president, I am very confident that our members will support that,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin.
Mayor Pugh said she will be meeting with CASA Wednesday night to talk about how Baltimore can support dreamers.
President Trump tweeted Tuesday night that if Congress fails to pass legislation to replace DACA, he will “revisit this issue.”
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