Issued: September 7, 2017
Dear LCC Community,
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is ending. In response, I signed on to a joint statement from the Washington State higher education leadership in support of the students who make up a portion of the 800,000 people in the nation registered under DACA.
We stand with the rest of the Washington higher education community in supporting our DACA students, who have collectively made an extremely positive impact on our institutions and communities. We are deeply concerned about the effect eliminating this important program could have on our students and families, our communities, and the economy. We are closely monitoring the situation in order to provide as much support as possible to our students.
LCC will continue to proactively safeguard our undocumented students, including enforcing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to the fullest extent of the law. We will continue to provide resources for undocumented students (DREAMers) under the Real Hope Act.
LCC is not a law enforcement agency, nor will it become one. Enforcing immigration law is the responsibility of federal law enforcement agencies, not colleges. Our mission is to educate and support students, and that is what we intend to do.
If you or someone you know may be affected by the termination of DACA, please visit our page on resources for undocumented students (DREAMers) often. We will add updates and information to the page as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Chris Bailey, President