President Joe Biden on Saturday said Friday’s federal court ruling is deeply disappointing, the US Department of Justice intends on appealing a new court decision in order to preserve and fortify DACA.
Texas federal judge Andrew Hanen on Friday ordered to close the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to new applicants saying the Obama administration did not have the legal authority to grant deportation relief and work permits to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. This program prevents the deportation of immigrants who were brought to the US unlawfully as children, known as “Dreamers”.
Under the DACA program, children of undocumented immigrants are allowed to remain here if they were under 16 when their parents brought them to the U.S. and if they arrived by 2007. Government figures show that over 90 percent of DACA participants have a job. Nearly half are in school. Many don’t speak the language or know the culture of their home countries.
Friday’s court ruling bars the federal government from accepting and approving any new applications, this means suspending DACA. According to USCIS data, active recipients of DACA as of March 2021 are 616,030.
“Yesterday’s federal court ruling is deeply disappointing. While the court’s order does not now affect current Daca recipients, this decision nonetheless relegates hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to an uncertain future, “President Biden said in a statement on Saturday.
“The Department of Justice intends to appeal this decision in order to preserve and fortify DACA. And, as the court recognized, the Department of Homeland Security plans to issue a proposed rule concerning DACA in the near future.”
“In 2012, the Obama-Biden Administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to remain in the United States, to live, study, and work in our communities. Nine years later, Congress has not acted to provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers, “Biden also said.
“But only Congress can ensure a permanent solution by granting a path to citizenship for Dreamers that will provide the certainty and stability that these young people need and deserve. I have repeatedly called on Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, and I now renew that call with the greatest urgency.
“It is my fervent hope that through reconciliation or other means, Congress will finally provide security to all Dreamers, who have lived too long in fear,” Biden said.
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