FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2022

HACU urges action on the Dream Act and DACA

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has released the following statement calling on Congress to pass the Dream Act and protect DACA recipients.

“HACU urges Congress to pass The Dream Act as a permanent and enduring solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and offer a bipartisan legislative pathway to citizenship,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “The contributions of Dreamers and DACA college graduates extend beyond the classroom and into our communities. After 10 years of the DACA program and more than 20 years without passing any version of the Dream Act, swift action is needed.”

HACU represents 559 Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and over 300 emerging HSIs, which collectively serve most of the of undocumented students in the nation whose journey to academic success has been protected by DACA.

In a letter to the leadership of Congress and to the Senate Judiciary Committee and House Judiciary Committee on November 9, 2022, HACU urged them to pass the Dream Act before the end of the year.

The letter further notes “A decade into DACA, more than 830,000 individuals have been granted deferred action. Many more are eligible for DACA status but are unable to apply due to proceedings in federal courts. Most of them were brought to the United States before the age of six and this is the only country they call home.”

“The passage of a permanent solution to DACA would uphold the values of America. DACA recipients enrich our country’s cultural diversity, reinvigorate our labor force, and make significant contributions to our economic vitality. Congress needs to act swiftly to expedite the passage of the Dream Act as a down payment to comprehensive immigration reform.”

Read the full letter here.

HACU has issued a call to action to its members and supporters to contact Members of Congress to urge them to pass the Dream Act.

Click here to urge Congress to pass the Dream Act.

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, D.C, Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain, and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, California.