WHAT’S NEXT FOR DACA AND DREAMERS? HEAR FROM JOSE VARGAS, LEADING VOICE ON IMMIGRANT HUMAN RIGHTS

Jose Antonio Vargas will deliver a plenary webinar on ACE Engage® July 23 at 1 p.m. EDT to keep the conversation going about what the higher education community can do for Dreamers, young individuals brought to this country as children, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision rejecting the Trump administration’s actions to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Register now on Engage to hear him deliver his talk, “DACA and Dreamers: A Conversation With Jose Antonio Vargas,” which is generously supported by Fidelity Investments. Patrick Vaughan, senior vice president managing director and higher education practice leader for the tax exempt market at Fidelity Investments, will give opening remarks.

Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and Tony-nominated producer. A leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, he founded the non-profit media and culture organization Define American. He is the author of the best-selling memoir, “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen,” and most recently he co-produced Heidi Schreck’s acclaimed Broadway play “What the Constitution Means to Me,” which was nominated for two 2019 Tony awards, including “Best Play.”

​In 2011, the New York Times Magazine published his groundbreaking essay chronicling his life in America as an undocumented immigrant. A year later, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine worldwide with fellow undocumented immigrants as part of a follow-up cover story he wrote. He then produced and directed “Documented,” an autobiographical documentary feature film that aired on CNN, and “White People,” an Emmy-nominated television special that aired on MTV and examines what it means to be young and white in a demographically changing America.

The Supreme Court ruling is not the end of the story for DACA recipients and other Dreamers. As ACE President Ted Mitchell said in a statement, “In the wake of this momentous and welcome ruling, Congress must finally act to give permanent legislative protection to Dreamers.” Dreamers still face many challenges such as the lack of a path to citizenship and ineligibility for student aid granted by the CARES Act during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, check out RemembertheDreamers.org, a website launched by ACE and a coalition of partners to serve as a resource for students, families, and higher education institutions. The website contains informational resources, personal stories of Dreamers, and ways to take action such as by contacting Congress to ask for a permanent legislative solution.

Speaking of Congress, keep up with the latest legislative developments and other public policy news impacting higher education with ACE’s Public Policy Pop-up: July Edition taking place July 28 on Engage. Terry Hartle and Jon Fansmith will discuss Congress’ agenda throughout the summer and leading up to election season, and if there are any new developments on DACA, you will be sure to hear it from them.