A federal judge on Friday suspended the program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, finding the Obama administration unlawfully created it.
The ruling by Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court for southern Texas temporarily bars the federal government from approving new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program applications. Current DACA recipients will be allowed to remain and work in the U.S. for now.
His decision stems from a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas challenging the program, which former President Obama created in 2012 through an executive order.
Hanen sided with Texas, finding Obama’s Department of Homeland Security did not properly develop the regulations that govern the program.
“The government has no legitimate interest in the continuation of an illegally implanted program,” wrote U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in his ruling.
The Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allows undocumented immigrants to live, work and attend college in the country. About 200,000 DACA recipients, also known as Dreamers, live in California. Nearly 800,00 DACA recipients live in the U.S.
Nearly 57,000 DACA recipients in the state are considered essential workers, according to the Center for American Progress.
President Donald Trump sought to end the program during his administration, but states including California sued to block. The U.S. Supreme Court a year ago upheld DACA, rejecting Trump’s attempt to repeal it.
Several immigrant advocates condemned Hanen’s ruling and urged Congress to pass a law that would protect DACA recipients.
Through a statement, Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director of United We Dream, urged Democrats to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
“Today’s ruling is evidence that DACA is not enough. The program has always been temporary, leaving hundreds of thousands of lives vulnerable to the next attack,” she said.
Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, a pro-immigration lobbying group, said he was deeply disappointed by the ruling.
“While today’s ruling does not change the fact that existing DACA recipients … can renew, it is devastating that tens of thousands of new DACA applicants who have submitted their applications will be barred from getting protections from deportation and work authorization,” he said.
A statewide Public Policy Institute of California survey in 2020 found that 81% of likely California voters were in favor of the DACA protections offered to Dreamers.
The survey also revealed that the DACA program had bipartisan support from the majority of likely Democratic and Republican voters, 94% and 62%, respectively.
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A law created illegally yet was supported by all of the states is deemed to be a legal act. Refer to the 16th amendment and how it became law of the land. Just saying. Now that we are involved a a nation politically it is time to express your voice to your representatives no matter what color they are.
Unfortunatey this Roberts led Supreme court will uphold the evil spirits of this law rather than the good letter of our laws. Nobody will be sent home, which just encourages others to believe it is better to ask the government for forgiveness than permission which the sob sister liberal judges always grant.
ASSUMING that roberts, even LETS THe scotus hear the case.. More likely, they will DISMISS any case reaching them saying some bull, like ‘THe state has no standing to challenge this”..
Give the illegal aliens DACA and do not secure our borders. We are going to have a Country as big as China, with all of the illegal aliens coming into our Country. Population of the United States, 1.3 billion people. Oh, I forgot, did I say “our Country”? We will no longer have a Country!
I’m dreaming of a safe country ,just like the one we used to have. Thank you judge
TO me, the BIGGEST REASON I have never been for this is WHAT Exactly does “DEFERRED” mean? If never ever, then its NOT DEFERRED.. AS that BY DEFINITION IS A TEMPORARY status….
First there are no immigrants involved here. These are all law breaking criminals. “A federal judge on Friday suspended the program that protects undocumented immigrants”… correction ‘A federal judge on Friday suspended the program that protects illegal criminal boarder crashers’. The children are being used as tools to gain illegal (criminal) entry thus avoiding the legal process which is in place. Immigrants are people who follow the rules and gain entry to this county, or any country, legally. Hope that clears this up a bit.
IMO IT won’t matter HOW MANY judges rule that this program is illegal or not.. THE DNC WILL KEEP bloody well doing what they are, TILL SOMEONE SLAPS the cuffs on them and drags THEM off to jail…