The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Georgia Chapter urges social workers to protest state policies that discriminate against college students who migrated to the United States as children and are undocumented.
The Georgia Board of Regents bans undocumented students and students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) from attending the state’s top five colleges — the University of Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Georgia College, and Medical College of Georgia. And if they attend other colleges in the state these students must pay out-of-state tuition rates.
These practices are discriminatory and not in Georgia’s best interests, the NASW Georgia Chapter said in a position statement. The statement read in part:
Georgia seeks to enhance its economy by investing in its students; this begins in its public K-12 school system where undocumented students currently learn alongside their citizen peers. However, if Georgia truly cares about its own economic interests, it should also open university doors to undocumented and DACAmented young people. People who do not attend college are more likely to earn substandard wages and therefore contribute less to the tax base and economic growth of the state; furthermore, low wage- earners produce little in the way of innovation.
The chapter urged social workers to take a variety of action to protest these policies, including writing the Georgia Regents directly and contacting state legislation.
To learn more read the full NASW Georgia Chapter Position on Georgia Regents’ Policies.
For more information contact the NASW Georgia Chapter at naswga@mindspring.com.
