DACA recipients celebrate decision

Supreme Court rules administration erred in attempt to end program

When Angelica Villalobos woke up and checked the news Thursday morning, she jumped out of bed and ran to her children's bedroom.

With tears of joy in her eyes, she told her kids the U. S. Supreme Court had ruled in a 5- 4 decision the Trump administration cannot immediately proceed with its plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“Today is a celebration,” she said.

Villalobos, co- founder and director of resources for Dream Action Oklahoma, is one of 6,150 DACA recipients in Oklahoma. Through DACA, immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children, known as Dreamers, can apply for two-year permits that protect them from deportation and allow them to work legally.

In September 2017, President Donald Trump announced he would end DACA, saying it was not within President Barack Obama's legal authority to create the program. Trump's decision was almost immediately challenged in court, and on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled Trump's reasoning was insufficient to end the program.

“It's been nerve-wracking feeling that we were in limbo,” Villalobos said. “( We were) very anxious this last three, four months of what was going to happen with the program knowing that the decision was getting close in the Supreme Court.”

It was a relief when Villalobos read the news, but not everyone was pleased.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, criticized the court's decision, saying it left DACA recipients in limbo.

“In February of 2018, the Senate was in the process of finding a permanent fix for DACA, when the Supreme Court decided to take the issue away from Congress,” he said. “Now, the Court has returned to Congress an even bigger mess while creating a long- term problem for any president responding to any previous executive action.”

Despite Lankford's displeasure with the court decision, many Oklahomans celebrated the news.

Raul Font, president of the Latino Community Development Agency in

Oklahoma City, called the decision a timely one.

“I believe the decision marks a victory for a generation that has no fault in the sins of their parents,” Font said. “Today, we have made the U.S.A. stronger.”

Jose Rubio, another DACA recipient, was also pleased with the decision.

Without DACA, Rubio wouldn't have been able to get his first job in high school nor his driver's license nor the scholarships that helped him go to school and start his career. DACA has helped him in so many ways, and although he was happy with the court's decision, he said he was shocked when he first heard the majority conservative court had ruled in Dreamers' favor.

After his surprise passed, Rubio was able to rejoice in the decision, but said he knows there's still work to be done.

“It's definitely a victory for us,” Rubio said. “But it's only a temporary victory. ... From my understanding, the decision doesn't block Trump from taking it away in a different way. So, it's like: How long is this actually going to stay in effect? When is he going to try to take it again?”

Rubio's fears are not unfounded. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion that it was not illegal for Trump to get rid of DACA, but the way in which he tried to was.

U. S. Rep. Kendra Horn, D- Oklahoma City, shares Rubio's sentiment that the fight isn't over, and she called on Congress to step up and take action.

“( The decision) affirms that Dreamers are a part of the American family,” she said. “This is an important victory, but we still have work to do. Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform and the Senate must vote on the American Dream and Promise Act to provide Dreamers with the protection and dignity they deserve.”

Villalobos said she expects Trump to come for DACA again, but even if he doesn't, Dreamers and their allies cannot afford to give up on a permanent protection. Keeping DACA in place was never the end goal. She plans to keep working for a path to citizenship for Dreamers, and she said DACA supporters need to be prepared for Trump's next move.

“At the end of the day, DACA isn't a permanent solution,” she said. “DACA's only temporary. ... Even though today is a win, we still need to see what's going to happen.”