Today, Dean Edwina Uehara—on behalf of the School of Social Work faculty council, staff council and deans—reaffirmed the School's commitment to support and defend the students and the communities impacted by the Trump Administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program if legislative action is not taken in six months.
SEATTLE, WA [UW School of Social Work] — Dear School of Social Work Community:
Many of you know by now that the Trump Administration has rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, calling on Congress to replace the policy with legislation before it fully expires on March 5, 2018. This action could have cruel and devastating consequences for 800,000 young people who were brought to this country as children without documentation. In response to this announcement, UW President Ana Mari Cauce sent a powerful message to UW students, faculty and staff, reiterating the UW’s unyielding support for those affected by this action.
In her message, President Cauce reaffirms UW’s commitment to protecting the privacy and human rights of everyone in the UW community and assures students that the decision to rescind DACA will not impact UW-provided financial aid. She celebrates the “richness, knowledge, courage and strength” that DACA students bring to our university and community, and notes that ending DACA diminishes us all: “It doesn't just threaten the security and futures of Dreamers. It also threatens to erode our nation as a democracy that has embraced the diverse talents and contributions of generations of immigrants, including our country’s founders.”
On behalf of the School of Social Work faculty council, staff council and deans, I write to strongly endorse President Cauce’s message, especially her support for “all efforts to restore the protections that DACA has provided,” including legal actions planned by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Like President Cauce, we want to assure each and every affected person at the School that if DACA ends, we will do everything within our power to minimize and ameliorate the disruption to your lives and your education.
As a School and as social workers, we stand in solidarity with families and communities affected by DACA and are strongly committed to protecting the well-being and rights of those threatened by federal action against DACA.
In solidarity with you all,
Edwina S. Uehara
Professor and Ballmer Endowed Dean in Social Work