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If Donald Trump plans to follow through on his campaign promise of doing away with a program that protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children from deportation, he might face pushback from Emory University and Mayor Kasim Reed.The private university and city’s chief executive say they will support the young students who benefit from the program. How far they will go — and at what cost — remains to be seen.President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in 2012 to allow some young undocumented immigrants to request a renewable two-year work permit and protection from deportation. The executive order offered people, predominantly Latinos, peace of mind and an opportunity to legally earn a living.But all could be erased with the stroke of a pen by Trump when he takes office next year. It’s hard to say whether Trump, who’s confused critics and supporters alike by easing off and doubling down on some campaign-trail pledges, would do away with the program. That’s not stopping Emory and Reed from saying they will protect the recipients.In April 2015, Emory decided to offer financial aid to undocumented students who were protected by DACA but otherwise ineligible for federal assistance. Top Emory officials who have been pushed by a group of professors and students to make Emory a “sanctuary campus”
said on Nov. 22 that school leaders would evaluate “how best to serve those in our community whose immigration status puts them at risk.”“We believe the intellectual and social energy that results from such diversity is critical to advancing knowledge,” the officials said.”We will continue to welcome and support DACA students as members of our university community.”Reed has stopped short of joining other mayors to declare Atlanta a sanctuary city. But on Nov. 28, the
mayor called Atlanta a “welcoming city,” and said his administration would “continue to vigorously protect and support immigrant students who are DACA recipients. We value the economic and cultural vitality these young people bring to our city.”Taking these positions comes with the potential risk of, at best, being on the receiving end of a scathing Tweet from the commander-in-chief and, at worst,
losing state and federal funding.According to Emory, the university received $375 million in federal funding in 2015, most of which came from the National Institute of Health. State Rep. Earl Ehrhart, R-Powder Springs, who chairs the Gold Dome Committee that oversees higher education, told the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov. 28 that he would advocate withholding state funding from Emory.
Atlanta regularly requests federal money to fund anything from new police equipment to projects such as the Atlanta Streetcar. Officials also hope federal aid could help build out MARTA’s bus and rail network inside the city limits.