Edmonds CC Interim President Christina Castorena joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Jan. 25.

Edmonds Community College’s interim president has joined more than 200 college and university leaders across the country in forming a national coalition to address higher education and immigration.

Edmonds CC Interim President Christina Castorena joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration Jan. 25.

“I am reaffirming our college’s commitment to providing an inclusive environment where all students and employees can feel safe, regardless of their immigration status,” Castorena said.

The alliance was created in November 2017 by a founding group of college and university presidents who gathered in Washington D.C. for a Presidents’ Convening on Higher Education and Immigration.

It brings together American college and university chancellors and presidents who are dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact students, campuses, and communities. Edmonds CC is among 17 Washington state colleges and universities to join.

In joining the alliance, Edmonds CC remains steadfast in its commitment to its undocumented and immigrant students and their pursuit of higher education.

In September 2017, after the U.S. Administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Edmonds CC’s president emeritus Dr. Jean Hernandez joined a coalition of more than 50 Washington college and university presidents in issuing a joint statement to Congress. The presidents called on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to ensure DACA recipients could remain in the U.S. to pursue their dreams without fear of deportation.

See more information and resources for undocumented and immigrant students.