Civil Rights Project Statement on DACA Decision

June 19, 2020

Civil rights advocates feared the possibility of a decision stripping nearly 700,000 DACA "dreamers" of their rights to remain and study or work in the USA as the Supreme Court term comes to an end. In yesterday's decision on the case, brought by the University of California, the Court rejected the Administration's action on the basis of its failure to provide any serious justification for its sweeping action. So, in an Administration that wanted to lower minority voting power by threatening immigrants in the Census case, and take away the rights granted in the Obama Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, both efforts failed because the agencies did not even offer a minimally plausible reason for their actions.

DACA has survived for now because of the incompetence of the agency leadership, and its disrespect for the normal processes of administrative rule making. This is a good day in the many homes of dedicated, young people making solid contributions to our society who should be welcomed as citizens.

But the fight is not over.

The issue now is in the hands of the electorate as a President and a Congress will be chosen in November.  We must do all in our power to ensure they are a President and Congress that will finally pass comprehensive immigration reform protecting all the hardworking immigrants in our society.

Here's the multi-part decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-587_5ifl.pdf