Dreamers ‘contribute immeasurably:’ Bucknell, Swarthmore, other Pa. schools fight DACA repeal | Thursday Morning Coffee

Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

A half-dozen of Pennsylvania’s most elite liberal arts colleges have joined with dozens of their public and private counterparts nationwide in a lawsuit, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, fighting the repeal of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Bucknell University, Bryn Mawr College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, Moravian College, and Swarthmore College joined a friend of the court brief on Oct. 4, arguing, among other things, that DACA recipients (commonly known as Dreamers) “contribute immeasurably” to campus life, and that the Obama-era program has opened the door to higher education for “tens of thousands previously undocumented” young people.

“American institutions of higher education benefit profoundly from the presence of immigrant students on our campuses,” the brief reads, in part. “Whether they attend large public universities, private research universities, liberal arts colleges, or community colleges, these students contribute a perspective and experience that is unique and important. That is especially true of Dreamers—that is, undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children.”

All told, 165 institutions of higher learning, ranging from such state universities as the University of Connecticut, to such liberal arts schools as Bucknell, and community colleges in 32 states joined the brief.

As our sister site, the Michigan Advance reports, repealing the law could put 669,000 undocumented young people who came to the United States as children at risk for deportation

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House in June voted to give Dreamers a path to citizenship, but  despite the clear economic and cultural contributions by DACA recipients, the majority-GOP U.S. Senate so far hasn’t acted on the bill.

In their brief, the schools called the looming repeal a “misguided, arbitrary and capricious” decision that will not only “harm the thousands of remarkable young people who are already DACA recipients and millions more who would seek to take advantage of the opportunities that DACA provides,” but also “will harm the country, which will be deprived of the many contributions Dreamers would otherwise be able to make.”

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case, formally known as Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of University of California, et. al., on Nov. 12. More than 25 state governors or attorneys general are participating in the case in support of DACA.

Our Stuff.
Elizabeth Hardison leads our coverage this morning with your must-read, clip-and-save guide to what happens to constituents when a state lawmaker abruptly resigns or retires.

Comedian Bill Maher, he of the acid tongue and sharp political views, performs at the Hershey Theatre on Nov. 10. Ahead of that performance, our partners at the Central Voice chatted with Maher about Pa.’s role in the 2020 landscape — and why you should keep reading a newspaper (or, y’know, a digital news site).

A new House oversight panel’s first report will tackle lobbying reform, its chairman says. Stephen Caruso brings you the story.

During an appearance in Harrisburg Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., continued to maintain that President Donald Trump was wrong to talk about ex-Veep Joe Biden on that Ukraine call. But, he added, ‘it’s ‘not unreasonable’ for DOJ to seek foreign help on investigations.

With redistricting reform in park, an advocacy group released a poll Wednesday showing public support for change.

Y en el Estrella-Capital: Wolf permitirá que el proyecto del ley que extiende la verificación federal de trabajo para inmigrantes se convierta en ley, por Stephen Caruso.

On our Commentary Page, a policy intern for the conservative Commonwealth Foundation offers his rebuttal to a recent op-Ed arguing that Pa. faces a looming teacher shortage. And a UMass/Amherst scholar explains how the U.S. can actually afford Medicare for All.

Elsewhere.
Pa. judges are sentencing people on probation to jail for debts they are unlikely to ever be able to repay, the Inquirer reports.
A top Trump trade official visited Pittsburgh amid the debate over tariffs, the Post-Gazette reports.
The superintendent of the Cumberland Valley schools in central Pennsylvania has vowed to fight racial intolerance in his district, PennLive reports.
The Morning Call goes inside the Citizens Police Academy at the Allentown Police Department.

Here’s your #NEPA Instagram of the Day:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3aS3dag-PM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

With the window for compensation closing, survivors are reckoning with the price of clerical abuse, WHYY-FM reports.
The state Senate may vote on a bill expanding access to healthcare for working disabled people, WITF-FM reports.
Democrats are taking GOP heat for not holding a floor vote on impeachment, Roll Call reports.

What Goes On.
It’s a weirdly full day for a Thursday on a non-session week.
9 a.m., Main Rotunda: House Speaker Mike Turzai, Rep. Patty Kim, and U.S. Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer on a vessel to be named the U.S.S. Harrisburg.
10:30 a.m., Main Rotunda: Event on the filing of (more?) lawsuits against the Harrisburg Diocese.
11:30 a.m., Main Rotunda: An event explaining the Marsy’s Law question on next month’s general election ballot.

WolfWatch.
Gov. Tom Wolf brags on job-creation in the state by celebrating a new ADP sales office in Allentown. Things get started at 11 a.m.  At 2 p.m., he talks STEM education at an elementary school in Levittown, Bucks County.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).
Reception for Rep. Dave Deasy, 5:30 p.m., Village Tavern, Pittsburgh. Admission runs $100 to $1,000, dependent, as always, upon the intensity of your ardor to bask in a lawmaker’s reflected glow.

Heavy Rotation. 
Here’s one from Stormzy for your Thursday morning. It’s ‘Vossi Bop.’

Thursday’s Gratuitous Hockey Link.
Philadelphia blanked the Devils 4-0 on Wednesday night.

And now you’re up to date.