In the Press
February 2, 2024

Higher Ed Alliance Says Ending DACA Will Decimate Economy (Law360)

More than 150 universities and colleges on Thursday backed the Biden administration's quest to save the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in the Fifth Circuit, saying the program has allowed its recipients to thrive and ultimately benefit the nation's economy. The higher educational institutions — together the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration — told the appeals court that hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children, and rely on DACA for work authorization, have graduated from U.S. colleges and universities. "Denying DACA recipients removal protection and work authorization would open the spigot for 'brain drain' — instead of contributing to the U.S. economy, these graduates may well end up taking their skilled labor elsewhere," the alliance mentioned to Law360. The alliance of higher education institutions is represented by Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution partner David Zimmer and associate Jonathan Rankin.