Those who qualify for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, also know as Dreamers, have become one of the top concerns of university leaders all across the United States due to threats by President Donald Trump and recent arrests.
According to data collected last year, Public Education Secretary Aurelio Nuño Mayer estimates Mexico has enough capacity to receive repatriated citizens.
“Last year’s figures show that out of 200,000 Mexicans who were repatriated, 2 percent had not completed higher education studies. Should this trend continue, there is enough capacity to integrate 2,000 students, or even twice as many should it be necessary,” said Nuño Mayer.
Nuño Mayer stated that the main issue the public education system will face is the uneducated portion of deportees — roughly around 100,000 to 200,000 people — for whom a new strategy in collaboration with the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA) is being created.
Both universities and higher education institutions acknowledged that they would face economic difficulties to admit deported Dreamers.
Contrary to Nuño’s statements, the director of Planning and Development of the National Association of Universities and Institutes for Higher Education (ANUIES) José Aguirre Vázquez pointed out the limited capacity of these institutions due to budget cuts on outstanding funding. However, he said, universities would do their best to admit repatriated students.
José Manuel Romero, director of the Mexican Youth Institute (Imjuve) claimed that the institute would support all repatriated students and develop actions for youth at risk of deportation.
