LOS ANGELES – The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the largest immigrant rights organization in California, joined a chorus of voices denouncing the latest Supreme Court myopic interpretations of the law, this time striking down decades of race-conscious admission policies which have made our nation’s institutions of higher learning and our society richer, stronger, more diverse. The following comments can be attributed to Angelica Salas, CHIRLA executive director:
“Racism and systematic barriers are still a problem in higher education and this ruling could send a chilling effect throughout the nation, threatening decades of progress in preventing discrimination on college campuses. In California, for example, after passage of Proposition 209, an over interpretation of the law led to sharp declines in college admissions of students of color.
A college degree is one of the most transformative tools for students of color and other protected classes with clear social and economic benefits. An inclusive society is a universal value, and this ruling supports a path where only a select few benefit. What type of future awaits us when our shared principles of equal opportunity and an inclusive democracy are viciously attacked by an ultra-conservative activist Court? The very core of our multi-racial democracy and economy is under attack.
Today’s ruling is not an excuse to progress. The law of the land remains clear: no student should be discriminated against, period. There is still an imperative and a charge on governments and colleges to remedy unequal opportunity in as many legal ways as possible.
To immigrant, Black, Latino, and AAPI students everywhere, we say: you belong, and we will stand with you fighting for equal access to education and for a bright future for our communities where equal opportunities abound for all of us.” ### | 
