Statement from University of California President (and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) Janet Napolitano

University of California President (and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) Janet Napolitano issued the following statement today:

The proposals under consideration in Congress fall far short of a comprehensive solution to our broken immigration system and most important, are contrary to our nation’s values. The growing humanitarian crisis on our southern border, where children are forcibly separated from their parents, and the hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who are being used as pawns in a political debate to build a border wall, are further indication of the urgent need for a real conversation around immigration reform. Our nation of immigrants is made stronger by its diversity. Congress and the administration must come together to pass legislation that reflects the values of our country, ensures the safety of our borders and provides a resolution for those brought to the United States as children and only know this country as home. It is imperative that Congress pass, and the president sign into law, legislation that protects our nation’s DACA recipients and provides them a path to citizenship.

President Napolitano was Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in 2012 when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy was announced.  The University of California has challenged the Trump administration’s attempt to rescind DACA.

KJ