Universities face risks by protecting DACA recipients

Hundreds of higher education leaders, from the Ivy League to community colleges and advocacy groups, have vowed to protect students on their campuses affected by the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, programme – announced on 5 September – and have urged congress to pass new legislation before the programme expires in March, writes Simona Chiose for The Globe and Mail.

For some universities, political organising carries political and financial risks. Universities began battling with Donald Trump and his most ardent supporters shortly after his inauguration. From fighting the immigration ban, to playing host to increasingly violent clashes between activists of different political stripes, including far-right and anti-fascist demonstrators, post-secondary institutions have found themselves at the centre of partisan battles.

Immigration has been one of the most public conflicts. In Georgia, Indiana, Texas and Mississippi, state legislatures have already passed laws to withdraw public funding from any college that declares itself a "sanctuary campus". The designation has no legal basis, but signals to undocumented students that the university has vowed not to co-operate with immigration enforcement agents.
Full report on The Globe and Mail site