Supreme Court’s Upcoming Decision on DACA

Dr. Mary A. Papazian

The Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—which will impact the futures of hundreds of thousands of people, including members of our community—is likely adding to the stress and anxiety that many already feel due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

The court’s decision will be announced any day now and could negatively impact DACA recipients’ ability to live, study and work in the United States. However, San Jose State’s commitment to our DACA students, faculty and staff remains unwavering, and we will continue to support all of them to the fullest degree possible, irrespective of the ruling.

SJSU values

One of the enduring values at San Jose State is our commitment to social justice and our undocumented students, faculty and staff. Our nation and university have invested in and will continue to invest in their success. We support the continuation of DACA, a program that enables DACA recipients to pursue their educational goals, practice their careers of choice and live their lives without fear of deportation.

Resources

SJSU’s UndocuSpartan Student Resource Center remains one of our best resources and is a vital entity here on our campus for providing holistic support and information to undocumented students and the campus community. The Center provides a space where undocumented students can feel safe and receive support. It also helps create spaces where students and allies can have dialogue and learn about topics that pertain to immigration and access to educational opportunities. 

There is a wide range of additional services available both on and off-campus:

As always, our fellow Spartans are an excellent resource at SJSU for ensuring that we remain a safe, caring and inclusive community. Even as we all are experiencing our own personal challenges with the shelter-in-place and COVID-19 crisis, please be mindful of others who may be feeling especially vulnerable due to the pending DACA decision.

San Jose State University is proud to be one of the most diverse campus communities in the nation, which sets us apart from our nation’s public universities. SJSU will never tolerate bigotry, hatred, discrimination or other forms of social oppression against individuals or groups on the basis of their race, ethnicity, immigrant status, religion or other identities. I hope you will join me in affirming our shared values of inclusion, equity, fairness, acceptance and respect while we await this historic decision.