NSHE Statement on DACA Supreme Court Case

The Nevada System of Higher Education is closely monitoring the case of the Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case on Tuesday.

NSHE has joined more than 160 other higher education institutions from 32 states supporting the University of California System in its case for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The lawsuit stems from a decision by the President of United States in September 2017 to rescind regulations for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Brief supports the position of the University of California, as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and private citizens, challenging the President’s decision.

NSHE Chancellor Thom Reilly and all eight presidents of NSHE’s public higher education institutions joined with higher education leaders across the nation as part of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. The Alliance was formed to urge legal protection for undocumented “Dreamers” brought to the United States as children.

“We remain steadfastly united in our support of our immigrant, undocumented, and international students,” Reilly said. “These are some of our best and brightest students and this change in federal policy has created extreme anxiety among many of our students and families, many of whom are our neediest students who already face financial hardships.”

NSHE is a minority-majority public higher education system with 100,000-plus students, and with one institution, UNLV, ranking as the most diverse university in the nation.