Houston, Texas – Following today’s conference about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Texas’ Southern District Federal Judge, Andrew Hanen, and the state of Texas denied over 400,000 young people, including the 90,000 new applications currently sitting at USCIS, from receiving DACA for the first time. He also indicated that he believes the Biden administration’s new DACA rule is unlawful, and not different from his previous ruling in 2021. No matter when Judge Hanen’s official ruling on this case comes out, the urgency is now.
For now, current DACA recipients can continue to renew.
Greisa Martinez Rosas, Executive Director of United We Dream said:
“We all know that the Republican led courts will not protect immigrant young people and that the DACA program will not survive these attacks. The only pathway forward is for Congress to take action now and push forward a legislative solution this year. Immigrant youth, our families and allies will not take silence and apathy from elected officials whose responsibility it is to deliver on the promises made to our communities. The time for action is now.”
Maria Praeli, Government Relations Manager of FWD.us said:
“Dreamers have been living with uncertainty for far too long. Today’s hearing advances the formal process that we know will almost certainly lead to the devastating end of DACA. It is incredibly emotionally taxing to continue facing threat after threat in the courts – it is an injustice to Dreamers like me, our families, and our communities across this nation. We deserve to live with stability in the country we love and call home. The only path forward is to pass legislation protecting Dreamers this lame duck session – Congress must deliver this year.”
Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub said:
“Tragically, it is crystal clear that the courts are not going to protect Dreamers in the DACA program. We are at the edge of completely unavoidable devastation and crisis when these courts finish their work to terminate the program completely. We need Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress to come forward and negotiate a permanent, lasting solution for Dreamers so they can continue to contribute to our communities, our families and our economy.”
