U.S. Supreme Court blocks effort to end DACA

To the Williams community,

Earlier today the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration may not immediately end DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, as it had tried to do.

The ruling is a critical step away from the prejudicial treatment of people who come to America fleeing injustice or in search of opportunity. It is only a step: the Court ruled against the Administration’s particular methods, but did not prohibit the White House from seeking other means of ending the program. 

With that in mind, more work needs to be done to permanently protect Dreamers and all immigrants from persecution and unjust deportation, and to give them a safe, durable path toward the rights and protections that are supposed to come with U.S. citizenship. Williams has signed multiple amicus briefs and letters advocating for such change, and we will continue to advocate and support this work at every level.

We encourage you to join a briefing about the Court’s decision scheduled for next Monday, June 22, at 1:00 p.m., hosted by colleagues from the Dean’s Office and the Davis Center, with staff from the Pittsfield-based Berkshire Immigrant Center. The panelists will review implications of the decision and its impact on Dreamers, and look ahead to what needs to be done next. The event will also include time for participants to reflect and share as a community. Please RSVP to Ninah Pretto, and a Zoom link will be sent to you shortly before the meeting.

Today, meanwhile, is a day to celebrate this incremental step in the struggle for human rights, along with Monday’s equally historic Court ruling, affirming that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 guarantees protection against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, as well as sex discrimination.

We live in a difficult time, when slowing the erosion of civil rights feels like a victory. At the same time, we are heartened by the Court’s decisions and look forward to working with you all to continue our progress.

Sincerely,

Maud S. Mandel, President, Professor of History, Program in Jewish Studies
Leticia Smith-Evans Haynes ’99, Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Marlene Sandstrom, Dean of the College and Hales Professor of Psychology
Ninah Pretto, Associate Dean of the College and Director of International Student Services