A Message from the President: Supreme Court's DACA Decision

NJIT Students, Faculty and Staff,

Today, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that, at least for the time being, preserves the residency status of those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The DACA program is available to any undocumented immigrant who came to the United States under the age of 16, has lived here since at least June 2007, and meets other criteria while not posing a threat to national security or public safety. Those who meet the program’s criteria are eligible for renewable two-year grants of deferred action related to removal from the U.S. They also receive work authorization as well as Social Security numbers. Today’s decision means that DACA participants can continue to renew their membership in the program.

This is extraordinarily good news for our university. Though NJIT does not have a large contingent of DACA students, the diversity of our campus community is one of NJIT’s greatest strengths and our DACA students have made significant contributions to the vibrance and excellence of our university. I have spoken to many of those students in recent months and understand the incredible stress they have been experiencing while awaiting the resolution of this case. So, I am relieved for them and for our university community. NJIT’s DACA students will continue to strengthen our institution by sharing their talents, their perspectives, and their cultures, and we are fortunate that they will be able to do so.

Sincerely,

NJIT President Joel S. Bloom