15 states, DC sue Trump administration to save 'dreamers'
September 07, 2017 08:17
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia sued the United States government to block President Donald Trump's plan to end protection against deportation for young immigrants.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn sought the President's action involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or DACA, struck down as unconstitutional.
It called the move 'a culmination of President Trump's oft-stated commitments ... to punish and disparage people with Mexican roots'.
The attorneys general who brought the lawsuit all Democrats represent states where the population of DACA participants known as 'dreamers' ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands. They were brought to the US illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.
The lawsuit filed says rescinding DACA will injure state-run colleges and universities, upset workplaces and damage companies and economies that include immigrants covered under the programme.
The lawsuit noted that Harvard University has over 50 DACA students while Tufts University has more than 25. Both schools are in Massachusetts.
'The consequence of the president's animus-driven decision is that approximately 800,000 persons who have availed themselves of the programme will ultimately lose its protections' and be exposed to deportation, the lawsuit says.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday the programme will end in six months so Congress can have time to find a legislative solution for people in the programme.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
California, one of the most solid Democratic states, was noticeably absent.
However, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra plans to file a separate lawsuit because a quarter of DACA recipients are California residents, his spokeswoman Bethany Lesser said.
Under Trump's plan, people already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire.
If that happens before March 5, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5. But the programme isn't accepting new applications. -- Agencies
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn sought the President's action involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, or DACA, struck down as unconstitutional.
It called the move 'a culmination of President Trump's oft-stated commitments ... to punish and disparage people with Mexican roots'.
The attorneys general who brought the lawsuit all Democrats represent states where the population of DACA participants known as 'dreamers' ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands. They were brought to the US illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.
The lawsuit filed says rescinding DACA will injure state-run colleges and universities, upset workplaces and damage companies and economies that include immigrants covered under the programme.
The lawsuit noted that Harvard University has over 50 DACA students while Tufts University has more than 25. Both schools are in Massachusetts.
'The consequence of the president's animus-driven decision is that approximately 800,000 persons who have availed themselves of the programme will ultimately lose its protections' and be exposed to deportation, the lawsuit says.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday the programme will end in six months so Congress can have time to find a legislative solution for people in the programme.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
California, one of the most solid Democratic states, was noticeably absent.
However, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra plans to file a separate lawsuit because a quarter of DACA recipients are California residents, his spokeswoman Bethany Lesser said.
Under Trump's plan, people already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire.
If that happens before March 5, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5. But the programme isn't accepting new applications. -- Agencies
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