Supreme Court Protects Dreamers
Bethesda, MD, June 19, 2020 – MAEC believes every child should have a chance to succeed – including immigrants. We are relieved in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block the dismantling of DACA.
DACA – the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program – was started during the Obama administration. It allows young immigrants who came to the US before the age of 16 to obtain temporary legal status and work authorization. The ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, affects hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, known as DREAMers, who have been living in legal limbo since September 2017.
“Our country was built by immigrants. It has succeeded because of immigrants. And it will continue to thrive because of immigrants. I am so happy for the nearly 700,000 DREAMers who no longer have to live under constant stress and uncertainty,” said MAEC President Susan Shaffer.
The majority of DREAMers go on to participate in the workforce and work in essential fields, including education and healthcare. In fact, more than 16,000 DREAMers fill critical roles within our nation’s education systems, increasing the supply of credentialed teachers.
“Though this decision brings significant relief to immigrant populations, we as a community must continue to call on Congress to pass the Dream and Promise Act, which will give permanent legal status to DREAMers. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to achieve a path to citizenship for these residents in the country they call home. We must also continue to encourage schools — educators, administrators, and leaders — to protect the immigrant youth they serve.” said Shaffer.
MAEC stands with immigrant populations and the schools and communities that support them. We are here to assist in any way we can, providing services and resources for both families and educators. Below is a sample of some of the online resources we have available.
- Creating New Futures for Newcomers: Lessons from Five Schools that Serve K-12 Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylees
- ¡Adelante! Moving Forward! A Guide to Empower Parents of English Learners to Advocate for their Children
- Welcoming Immigrant Students to Public Schools
- Social and Emotional Learning for Immigrant Students
- Engaging EL and Immigrant Families in Children’s Learning
