Supreme Court Killed Trump’s Attempt at Ending DACA

The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump Administration’s efforts in terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which aids over half a million children of immigrants to reside here in the United States. DACA allows children who have been brought to the states to be deferred from deportation and have the chance to apply for a work visa.

DACA was announced by former President Barak Obama in 2012. In September of 2017, the Trump Administration announced a plan to end DACA and killed the expansion of the program Obama had planned for. This resulted in congress finding another alternative to support undocumented people in a span of six months. The brainstorming window gave DACA a halt in accepting and applying.

Now, the Supreme Court has ruled against Trump’s attempts to revoke DACA ,stating that there was not an adequate reason to end the program under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). This means there could be another attempt to terminate such a popular program, but it won’t be ended right now.

There is criteria that needs to be met in order to be eligible for DACA, and applicants can reapply every two years. In addition to providing some relief to families, research from the Journal of Public Economics, The Lancet Public Health, and Economics Letter found that DACA has improved employment rates and the mental health of those participating in the program. Poverty rates among families have decreased as well.

DACA was announced on June 15, 2012. That was the day of my HS graduation. I remember getting home and it was all over the news! Thanks to DACA I have been able to work and fulfill my dreams to pursue higher ed! I am very grateful for DACA but we deserve more! #LaLuchaSigue

— pao ????????‍???????? (@mmmayrac) June 18, 2020

Locally, many folks were happy to celebrate this news. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released a statement explaining, “Through DACA, the federal government made a commitment to millions of hardworking, young people in the U.S., many of whom are integral to Colorado’s communities and economy. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block the federal government’s attempt to end DACA upholds that commitment. I will continue to defend and support our Dreamers, and I urge Congress to finally pass legislation to allow Dreamers to stay in the United States and provide them with a pathway to citizenship. Today’s decision by the Court follows in the best of our nation’s commitment to liberty and justice for all.”

Colorado was among one of the states that challenged the government in their decision to end DACA.

While this is definitely worth celebrating, there are still many battles to fight in terms of our undocumented community. 

“There is still work to be done to protect immigrants from harm and to effect lasting, systemic change to end racial injustice. PFLAG redoubles our efforts to urge the U.S. Senate to join the House in passing important legislation to protect all people from discrimination and racially-motivated harm, including the Equality Act, the HEROES Act, the American Dream and Promise Act, the PROTECT Immigration Act, and the Combating Deceptive Immigration Enforcement Practices Act,” says Brian K. Bond, executive director of PFLAG.