President Kyle Farmbry met with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and later joined Starlynn Mendez '23 in a meeting with representatives for U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., urging Congress to deliver on a bipartisan immigration deal that would protect two million undocumented immigrants, including about 427,000 undocumented students in postsecondary education.
“I hope something can be worked out. There’s got to be some give and take from both sides to reach a compromise, but it’s important for many students.”
Caption: President Kyle Farmbry, top row, left, and other college presidents and representatives of Dreamer support organizations, met with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona last week to discuss legislation that would protect undocumented student immigrants.
Kyle and presidents from seven other colleges and universities met with Secretary Cardona to discuss the importance of maintaining a diverse student body on their campuses.
Kyle is a steering committee member with the Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a coalition of more than 500 college university presidents and chancellors that advocates on immigration issues supporting international and refugee students. Kyle says it's imperative to stand up for “dreamers” at Guilford and across the country. They are excelling at the College, he says.
“The fact we have a population of students who are dreamers and who are undocumented and who are learning alongside many of our other students, it speaks to the nature of our institution,” Kyle says. “They're contributing in the classrooms. Like all our students, they’re bringing tremendous value to our community.”
There is guarded optimism that a deal can be worked out in this lame duck session of Congress. Reportedly, Senators Tillis and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., have reached an agreement on a draft framework of immigration-reform compromises. The deal, which would require the votes of all Democrats and 10 Republican senators, would provide a path to legalization for two million undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as “dreamers,” in exchange for at least $25 billion in increased funding for the Border Patrol and border security.
“I hope something can be worked out,” says Starlynn, the president of Hispano Unidos de Guilford. “There’s got to be some give and take from both sides to reach a compromise, but it’s important for many students.”
Miriam Feldman, the executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance, says she’s grateful for Kyle and Starlynn attending the White House meetings. “Guilford’s president and its students can help educate the public and policymakers on policies that can have a direct impact on immigrant and international students,” she says. “They’re leadership is so important to our goals.”