Trump says he’ll work to end DACA protections
Groups say they remain on guard
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump said Friday he will renew his effort to end legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the United States as children.
Trump denounced a Supreme Court ruling that the administration improperly ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017. Splitting with Trump and judicial conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal justices in the 5-4 vote Thursday.
Through executive action, Trump could still take away the ability of 650,000 young immigrants to live and work legally in the U.S. And with no legislative answer in sight in Congress, uncertainty continues for many immigrants who know no other home except America.
In a tweet Friday, Trump said, “The Supreme Court asked us to resubmit on DACA, nothing was lost or won. They ‘punted,’ much like in a football game (where hopefully they would stand for our great American Flag). We will be submitting enhanced papers shortly.”
Many believe Trump could modify the rescinding of DACA in the same way he changed a travel ban on mostly Muslim countries. The ban was upheld by the Supreme Court after two revisions in over a year, including adding North Koreans and some Venezuelan officials to the ban.
In a 5-4 opinion with a stark rebuke from liberal justices, the high court found that Trump was well within a president’s considerable authority over immigration and the responsibility for keeping the nation safe.
Groups that support DACA said they will remain on guard against further action by Trump.
“What’s important to note: NOTHING has changed since yesterday and won’t change unless SCOTUS decides otherwise,” the immigration legal services provider and advocacy group RAICES, based in Texas, wrote on Twitter. “We’ll remain vigilant & ready to fight anything that may come.”
Hareth Andrade, a national staffer with Mi Familia Vota, an organization that focuses on voter engagement, said the president’s tweet is a “sore loser remark.” Andrade is also a DACA recipient.
“This appeal tactic will only run out the time he has left as president,” she said. “Our movement knows better, we have deeply organized our communities and, for now, have a SCOTUS decision on our side to keep our DACA benefits intact.”
Megan Essaheb, director of immigration advocacy for the Washington-based nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said that while Trump can still terminate DACA, he could also choose to support legislation that provides legal status to recipients, along with 300,000 people who have temporary status and the estimated 11 million who are in the U.S. without permission.
“If he chooses cruelty, it will be on him,” Essaheb said.
The Trump administration says it’s moving forward against DACA, even though experts say there isn’t enough time to knock down the program before the November election.
“We’re going to move as quickly as we can to put options in front of the president,” Ken Cuccinelli, acting head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told “Fox & Friends.”
“That still leaves open the appropriate solution, which the Supreme Court mentioned, and that is that Congress steps up to the plate,” he said.
Activists are vowing to keep fighting for a long-term solution for young immigrants whose parents brought them to the U.S. when they were children. They not only face a White House that’s prioritized immigration restrictions, but also a divided Congress that is not expected to pass legislation providing a path to citizenship any time soon.
The high court decision on Thursday elicited surprise, joy and some apprehension from immigrants and advocates who know it’s only a temporary development.
“This is a huge victory for us,” Diana Rodriguez, a 22-year-old DACA recipient, said through tears.
Rodriguez, who works with the New York Immigration Coalition, said she hasn’t been back to Mexico since she was brought to the U.S. at age 2. The ruling means young immigrants can keep working, providing for their families and making “a difference in this country,” she said.
But the work isn’t over, Rodriguez said: “We can’t stop right now, we have to continue fighting.”