State attorney general says DACA program should stay
Amid a Republican-led push to end the Obama-era DACA program, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday reaffirmed his support of the controversial program that has granted nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants reprieve from deportation.
Joined by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and immigration advocates, Becerra said the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has helped these immigrants flourish, while allowing them to contribute significantly to the state and U.S. economy. About a quarter of the nation’s DACA recipients — an estimated 200,000 “Dreamers” — reside in California, according to Becerra.
“While some leaders in other states may not wish to stand with our young immigrant brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, we do,” he said. “Instead of scapegoating our kids, we should be ensuring that they can fulfill their potential.”
Their defiance comes amid renewed debate surrounding DACA. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, backed by nine other Republican-led states, sent U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions a letter last month, calling on the administration to rescind the program.
“We respectfully request that the Secretary of Homeland Security phase out the DACA program,” the letter said.
“Specifically, we request that the Secretary of Homeland Security rescind the June 15, 2012 DACA memorandum and order that the Executive Branch will not renew or issue any new DACA or Expanded DACA permits in the future.”
The letter also said that if the program is rescinded by Sept. 5, the Republican-led states — which include Arkansas, Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia — will drop threats of a lawsuit against the federal government.
Responding to questions of a potential legal battle, Becerra said, “We’re prepared to do everything we can within the powers that I have as the attorney general to defend the people of our state, including the Dreamers.”
Becerra and a coalition of nine other states in June filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Homeland Security, seeking information about federal immigration enforcement practices under the Trump administration, including enforcement against Dreamers and DACA recipients.
The Trump administration on June 16 — in an apparent change of heart — announced it would keep the program, marking a significant victory for “Dreamers” nationwide.
But it’s unclear what exactly that entails. In the announcement, the Department of Homeland Security did not say how long the current DACA program will stand. Trump had pledged in his campaign to “immediately” cancel that program, though he softened that stance in recent months, at one point saying, “the Dreamers should rest easy.”