Statements of Institutional Support

As a Catholic and Jesuit institution, Georgetown University values the dignity of all members of the university community, regardless of immigration status.
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

As a Catholic and Jesuit institution, Georgetown University values the dignity of all members of the university community, regardless of immigration status. We are a university in the heart of the nation’s capital and believe in educating the whole person through exposure to different faiths, cultures and beliefs. An estimated 65,000 children born abroad who are not U.S. citizens or legal residents graduate from U.S. high schools each year. As we engage with the impacts of globalization and the responsibilities we have in a global context, we must, as educators, support all of our students, including those who were born abroad. The university is committed to supporting undocumented students and the unique challenges they may face and convenes a working group of representatives from a variety of offices across campus.

Historic Statements of Institutional Support

“As higher education leaders, we believe it is our nation that will benefit from the passage of this bipartisan legislation that permanently protects upwards of 1.7 million Dreamers and establishes a roadmap to citizenship for this population of talented, hardworking, achievement-oriented individuals. We urge you to support this important legislation.”

Steering Committee Letter Endorsing the Dream Act of 2021

“Thanks to DACA, I now have a part-time job on campus and can help ease the cost of college for my parents. Thanks to DACA I can feel safe and confident while traveling, whether it be to attend school or to visit my family. Thanks to DACA I can focus on my studies without worrying that it may all be taken away from me at any second. I have always thought of myself as an American, but it is thanks to DACA that I can begin to truly feel like one, too.”

Brief of Amici Curiae Nineteen Universities to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of the DACA program (October 7, 2019)

“Georgetown University continues to express its strongest support for legal protections to ensure the futures of the exceptional young women and men currently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). These young people make important contributions to our University, and to campuses and communities across the country. Ensuring the safety and well-being of these members of our community is imperative, and we urge the Senate to follow the lead of the House of Representatives and act now and deliver a permanent solution.”

Statement in Support of Undocumented Students (June 28, 2019)

“For us, protecting Dreamers and TPS holders are moral issues that go to the heart of being a country that is just, wise, and compassionate enough to create a roadmap toward full citizenship for those who through their long presence have put down roots and made a life here as contributing members of our communities.”

Letter from Presidents’ Immigration Alliance Steering Committee, co-signed by President DeGioia, urging Congressional leaders to protect DACA and TPS recipients (February 4, 2019)

“Given the opportunity to adjust their status, we see in Dreamers the same potential as the
millions of immigrants who came before them and who helped make this country what it is today, including those who excelled in our nation’s colleges and universities and joined the next generation of scientists, researchers, engineers, and educational, civic and business leaders.”

Letter to Congress to bring bipartisan legislation to the floor that would provide a permanent relief and a pathway to citizenship for DACA students (June 12, 2018)

“Many of these young people study here at Georgetown and make extraordinary contributions to our University community every day, and I know they will make similar contributions to our nation for years to come.”

Letter from President John J. DeGioia Urging Congressional Leaders to Support the DREAM Act (December 18, 2017)

For more historic statements, please see: