Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals DACA Ruling

American Council on Education

STATEMENT BY ACE PRESIDENT TED MITCHELL ON FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS DACA RULING

October 06, 2022

​”We are dismayed that this ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals continues to force hundreds of thousands of outstanding young Dreamers to live in fear and uncertainty. While we appreciate that current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients can for now continue to renew their status, it is simply unconscionable that there still exists the opportunity for such a court ruling. We also note the ongoing legal danger posed by this ruling, which embraces the wrongheaded view that the program itself is unlawful.

It is unacceptable that Congress has, for so many years, failed to act to pass legislation to permanently protect Dreamers. These talented young individuals are Americans in every way but legal status. Most have only known this country as their home. They attend our colleges and universities, they work and pay taxes, and they serve in the military. Many have spent the past two and half years on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 as doctors, nurses, and first responders.

This unacceptable legal and political limbo must stop. Congress must finally act, and it must do so now. To do anything else is morally unthinkable.”

Media Contact: Jon Riskind, jriskind@acenet.edu
(202) 939-9453

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