Federal Judge Orders End to DACA; Current Enrollees Safe for Now
Voice of America
17 Jul 2021, 09:35 GMT+10
HOUSTON - A federal judge in Texas on Friday ordered an end to an Obama-era program that prevented the deportations of some immigrants brought into the United States as children.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of Texas and eight other conservative states that had sued to halt the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people. People who are already enrolled won t lose protections, but Hanen is barring the processing of new applications.
Hanen s decision limits the immediate ability of President Joe Biden, who pledged during his campaign to protect DACA, to keep the program or something similar in place. His ruling is the second by a federal judge in Texas stopping Biden s immigration plans, after a court barred enforcement of Biden s 100-day stay on most deportations.
A blaring siren for Democrats after ruling halts DACA
A Texas judge ruled former president Barack Obama did not have the authority to create the program back in 2012. Author: ASTRID GALVAN Associated Press Published: 4:57 PM CDT July 16, 2021 Updated: 7:56 PM CDT July 16, 2021
Immigrants and advocates are urging Democrats and President Joe Biden to quickly act on legislation to protect young immigrants after a federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled illegal an Obama-era program that prevents the deportation of thousands of them brought into the U.S. as children.
Plaintiffs have vowed to appeal the decision by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program illegal, barring the government from approving any new applications, but leaving the program intact for existing recipients.
A blaring siren for Democrats after ruling halts DACA
A Texas judge ruled former president Barack Obama did not have the authority to create the program back in 2012. Author: ASTRID GALVAN Associated Press Published: 5:57 PM EDT July 16, 2021 Updated: 8:56 PM EDT July 16, 2021
Immigrants and advocates are urging Democrats and President Joe Biden to quickly act on legislation to protect young immigrants after a federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled illegal an Obama-era program that prevents the deportation of thousands of them brought into the U.S. as children.
Plaintiffs have vowed to appeal the decision by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, who declared the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program illegal, barring the government from approving any new applications, but leaving the program intact for existing recipients.
Updated July 16, 2021 at 8:53 PM ET
A federal district judge in Texas has ruled against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, striking a blow to the Obama-era policy that has protected more than 800,000 young undocumented immigrants from deportation since 2012.
The largely expected decision leaves the fate of thousands of the program s beneficiaries, known as DREAMers, in the hands of Congress, the Biden administration and a Supreme Court where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of nine conservative-led states, including Texas, blocking the Biden administration from accepting new DACA applicants – saying the program is not legal.
“Until the president and Democrats in Congress deliver on citizenship, the lives of millions will remain on the line, Martinez Rosas said.
Hanen ruled in favor of Texas and eight other conservative states that sued to halt DACA, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people.
The program has faced a roller coaster of court challenges since former President Barack Obama instituted it in June 2012. The Trump administration announced it was ending the program in September 2017, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the administration hadn t ended the program properly, keeping it alive once more.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a statement Friday evening, vowed that Democrats will continue to push for passage of the DREAM Act, and called on Republicans “to join us in respecting the will of the American people and the law, to ensure that Dreamers have a permanent path to citizenship.”