Late Tuesday night, US District Judge William Aslup granted a request by the State of California and other plaintiffs to prevent Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. DACA protects young immigrants (so-called DREAMers) from deportation; this program was announced in 2012 during the Obama administration and approximately 800,000 young people have benefited from it.
The court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA.
What does this mean for the immigrant students in your community?
The US government MUST accept DACA renewals, which means those young people whose DACA protections are expiring soon, or have already expired, may apply for renewal while the existing lawsuits are playing out in court. This ruling applies to DACA recipients all over the country.
We should note that the judge’s ruling does not require the government to accept new DACA applications. The judge’s ruling provides temporary relief, and it will probably be appealed.
This ruling is great news for our community and shows how the separation of powers between the executive branch and the judiciary should work. But let’s be clear that last night’s ruling is a not a solution. We cannot take our eyes off of the prize. We need a permanent policy to protect all DREAMers, including those who may be eligible for the DREAM Act and may have never had DACA, and we need to make sure that young immigrants will not be used as human bargaining chips for border walls or more punitive enforcement measures that ultimately hurt our communities.
We are all in this together with you. We want to be a resource for you and for all of the children you love. Whether you need some info or you have info to share, you know where to go…LA Comadre.