Princeton, Microsoft File DACA Lawsuit

The University has joined with a Princeton senior and Microsoft Corp. in a legal effort to overturn the Trump administration’s decision to TERMINATE THE DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS (DACA) program, saying the action violates the Fifth Amendment and federal regulatory procedures. 

In a complaint filed Nov. 3, Princeton said it has enrolled at least 21 “Dreamers” since 2012, including 15 who currently are undergraduates. The students are “among the most accomplished and respected students studying at the University,” Princeton said, and their presence also benefits other students and helps fulfill the University’s educational mission.

One Dreamer, Maria De La Cruz Perales Sanchez ’18, joined in the litigation, saying in a statement that “I grew up in this nation, and I must hold it accountable to the promises it made when it established the DACA program.” She said the program “provided many of my peers and me with an avenue to have control over our paths and lives free from the constant fear of deportation.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in September that DACA — which protects from deportation certain young immigrants who came to the United State as children — would be phased out starting in March 2018, and that no new applications would be accepted.

Microsoft said the company and its subsidiary, LinkedIn, employ at least 45 DACA recipients in roles including software engineers, analysts, and other technical and operations positions. Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith ’81, is a Princeton trustee.