• Recent DACA Decision

    Dear MHCC Staff and Students,

    This past Tuesday, September 5, 2017, President Trump announced through Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he would be ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This announcement will negatively impact students and their families attending Mt. Hood Community College. We do not know exactly how many of our students are impacted, but we do know there are approximately 11,000 DACA individuals in the greater Portland area. We can anticipate fear, anxiety and questions from our students as they return to school or from new students just beginning their education with us.

    I personally am extremely disheartened by this announcement. In our country, there are approximately 800,000 individuals that this change will impact without an identified strategy to address immigration reform. I think of those students who have positively impacted our lives and, for me personally, made my life more enriched.

    As a college, I want to reiterate that MHCC stands with and for all of our students, and supports their higher education goals. Again, one of our core values is to provide a respectful, inclusive and accessible learning environment for every student. We are a dynamic community of intercultural learners committed to meeting the evolving needs of an increasingly interconnected global society.

    I will work to provide factual information on our webpage regarding this action by the Department of Homeland Security. We will reach out again to our community partners to ascertain what resources are available to our DACA students and their families. I have also begun discussions with staff from Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Senator Ron Wyden’s offices regarding efforts in Washington D.C.

    As president of Mt. Hood Community College, I am committed to continuing to create a safe and welcoming environment on our campuses, and to continue to work with and for our DACA students, moving them to completion and success at MHCC.

    Debra A. Derr, EdD
    President
    Mt. Hood Community College