In an op-ed written for The Oregonian, UO President Michael H. Schill and Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney call on Congress to defend the young immigrants formerly protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. They also declare their support of Oregon Senate Bill 1563.

DACA granted deferred action from deportation and eligibility for work permits to undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors. The Trump administration rescinded the program in September. Since then, the fate of its participants, nicknamed “Dreamers,” has been an issue of contention.

“As presidents of the Oregon State Senate and the University of Oregon, each of us has a unique perspective on how protecting undocumented children, known as Dreamers, benefits Oregon,” Schill and Courtney say. “These protections create opportunity. They create hope. They create promise for a generation of young people.”

For many of the country’s 800,000 Dreamers, the U.S. is the only home they can remember. Schill and Courtney call them “Americans in thought, word and deed.”

Schill and Courtney support Senate Bill 1563. The bill allows undocumented students to be eligible for scholarships and in-state tuition rates without applying for the DACA program.

“Congress should act quickly to fulfill our moral duty to protect Dreamers,” they say. “In the meantime, Oregon will do its part to ensure that all our young people have the opportunity to pursue the bright future they deserve.”

For more, see “Protecting Dreamers defines us as Oregonians.”

Schill began his tenure at the UO in July 2015. The author or co-author of three books and 40 scholarly articles, his work centers around property, real estate and housing law and policy.