PROVIDENCE — More than 100 presidents of Catholic colleges and universities released a statement declaring their support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the immigrant students it protects, including the presidents of Rhode Island’s two Catholic institutes of higher education, Providence College and Salve Regina University.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) was created in 2012 by the administration of President Barack Obama to protect young adults who were brought to the United States as children from deportation. The program defers deportation of eligible applicants for a limited but renewable period of time, allowing young adults who have grown up largely within the United States the opportunity to finish their studies or apply for a work permit.
In recent months, DACA has come under fire from President-elect Donald Trump, leading many to believe the program may be eliminated during the upcoming administration. Many in the higher education community have expressed concerns over how the elimination of DACA would impact currently enrolled students, with presidents of both secular and religious colleges speaking out in its defense.
The statement by Catholic college and university presidents, which was released November 30 on the website of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, describes many of those concerns.
“Many of us count among our students young men and women who are undocumented, their families having fled violence and instability,” says the letter. “We, the undersigned presidents of Catholic colleges and universities, express hope that the students in our communities who have qualified for DACA are able to continue their studies without interruption and that many more students in their situation will be welcome to contribute their talents to our campuses.”
The letter goes on to emphasize the long standing of immigrants and other underprivileged populations within Catholic education and to commit campus resources to those undocumented students who may be in need of extra support.
“Undocumented students need assistance in confronting legal and financial uncertainty and in managing the accompanying anxieties. We pledge to support these students – through our campus counseling and ministry support, through legal resources from those campuses with law schools and legal clinics and through whatever other services we may have at our disposal.”
Sister Jane Gerety, president of Salve Regina University, was among those who signed the letter. In a statement issued to Rhode Island Catholic last week, she explained that developing a just and humane immigration policy is one of the five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy.
“I signed the statement for leaders in Catholic higher education enthusiastically both as a Sister of Mercy and as the president of Salve Regina, a Mercy institution,” said Sister Gerety. “As president of Salve Regina, I believe that students who have met the criteria of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy should be able to continue their studies without interruption.
“We would also welcome other undocumented students who qualify for DACA, knowing that our Catholic, Mercy education will contribute to their formation and growth as it has for the many immigrant daughters and sons we count as our graduates,” she continued. “Having these students as part of our campus community will enrich us all as we open our minds and hearts to those who struggle bravely to attain a college education.”
Father Brian Shanley, president of Providence College, also expressed his support for DACA, explaining the importance of supporting immigrant students and their families in an email addressed to the entire college community on November 30.
“It is important to remind ourselves in our centennial year that we were founded as a college of opportunity for newly arrived immigrants and their children,” he said. “In expressing our solidarity and care for our current students and their families, we are remaining true to our original mission.”
Father Shanley also announced the college would be offering on-campus access to legal experts in the fields of immigration and DACA, a commitment reflected in the statement by Catholic college presidents and taken up by many colleges and universities around the country.
According to Father Gabriel Pivarnik, vice president for Mission and Ministry at Providence College, these on-campus resources have already begun in the form of open sessions with immigration lawyers. The student body, he said, has expressed great concern about the issue, with those less impacted offering moral support to friends worried about their own or family members’ legal status.
“For us at the college, we know we have some undocumented students, and I think our bigger concern is the number of students who might be fully documented but their families are mixed status,” he said. “And that’s kind of an overarching concern for us – what happens to a documented student who’s facing the possibility of losing a family member?”
Father Pivarnik also stressed the importance of serving an immigrant student population as part of the college’s founding mission, as well as an integral part of Catholic social teaching.
“Just because someone is transient or, if you will, unrooted to a particular country, that doesn’t mean that they have lost their inherent dignity. One of the fallacies that we struggle with is that the state guarantees human rights and that’s not right at all, our dignity comes from God. [We need] to recognize no matter who you are, where you’re from or where you’re going, that dignity must be respected at all times.”
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities as well as a group of more than 500 college and university presidents organized by Pomona College President David Oxtoby have also issued letters in support of DACA.
