FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Board’s adoption of regulations allows DACA recipients to obtain licenses in 57 professions
May 18, Long Island City, NY — The New York State Board of Regents’ adoption of regulations permitting DACA recipients to obtain professional license in New York, wisely allows qualified non-citizens who have completed their education here to finally engage in these professions and contribute to their communities, CUNY School of Law faculty members said Wednesday.
CUNY Law professor Janet Calvo, along with CUNY Law students, provided much of the legal analysis supporting the Board’s final decision this week. Calvo noted that the rule is grounded in federal and state constitutions as interpreted by NY’s state and federal courts. “The regulation will allow those young people who have been pursuing their educations in New York State to engage in the professions for which they are qualified and contribute to the state,” Calvo added.
CUNY Law students helped other CUNY students impacted by the ruling to write and submit persuasive comments in support of the proposed regulation.
“Working on comment writing on this important issue brought to life both the Administrative Law and Immigration classes I took this semester,” said Zehra R. Asghar (’17), who assisted students from CUNY’s City College on their comments to present to the Regents.
CUNY Law professor Natalie Gomez-Velez, who leads the law school’s Center on Latinx Rights and Equality (CLRE), said the Regents action is to be commended. “This rule is sound public policy that removes unlawful and unnecessary obstacles to licensure for qualified applicants based on immigration category,” she said.
The Board based its decision, in significant part, on several recent court decisions, including a determination that Cesar Vargas, a CUNY Law graduate of 2011 and DACA recipient, was eligible for a law license under state law. The Vargas decision was supported by an amicus brief submitted by the New York State Attorney General.
-30-
The press statement from the New York State Board of Education can be found here.
The NYS Board of Regents Proposal can be found here.
The list of 57 professions overseen by the Board of Regents is here.
About CUNY School of Law
Founded in 1983, CUNY School of Law is the premier public interest law school in the country. The school trains lawyers to serve the underprivileged and disempowered and to make a difference in their communities. A greater percentage of graduates from CUNY Law choose careers in public interest and public service than any other law school in the nation. National Jurist ranks CUNY Law first in the nation in placing graduates in public interest law jobs, second in the nation for diversity, and sixth in the nation for best public interest law school. U.S. News & World Report ranks CUNY Law third in the nation for clinical training and in the top ten for diversity. www.law.cuny.edu.
Press contact:
Lucille Renwick, CUNY School of Law
718-340-4472; lucille.renwick@law.cuny.edu