Framingham State president joins immigration alliance

Courtesy Framingham State President Javier Cevallos said he's "committed to doing everything I can to support" qualified immigrant and undocumented students.

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By Grant Welker

Framingham State University President Javier Cevallos has joined a nationwide alliance of college presidents calling on Congress to pass legislation protecting students who are so-called Dreamers.

Cevallos' voice on the issue will join nearly 200 others across the country, including Clark University President David Angel and the presidents of Harvard University, UMass Amherst, Williams College and seven others in Massachusetts.

The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration has called on Congress to pass legislation protecting students who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.

Cevallos said he was proud to join his colleagues across the country on the issue.

“Qualified immigrant and undocumented students should have every right to attend our institutions without fear of deportation or other repercussions. Universities draw strength from their presence on our campuses, and I am committed to doing everything I can to support them," Cevallos said in a statement when his joining the alliance was announced Dec. 15.

In addition to DACA advocacy, the alliance fights for federal and state policies creating a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented and international students. The presidents of Harvard, Emerson College and Wellesley College were among the alliance's founding group of college presidents.