On June 18, the United States Supreme Court narrowly rejected a move to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, bringing new hope to the so-called “Dreamers.”
Dreamer immigrants are people who were brought into this country without permission, usually by their parents. Many of them have sought the right to stay here and avoid deportation through the DACA program. The program merely allows some 649,000 of these people to obtain legal work authorization and apply for a two-year renewable forbearance against removal processes. It does not provide a path to citizenship and attempts to forge one fell apart in 2018 and have yet to be resumed.
Unfortunately, there are fierce anti-immigrant sentiments in the current federal administration, and officials want no immigrant to be safe from deportation — even Dreamers. The Supreme Court ruled that the government’s attempts to end the program in 2017 had not met the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act when it attempted to rescind the program. They found the administration had acted in a way that was “arbitrary and capricious.”
By June 19, the government had already signaled that there would be new moves in the immigration battle as soon as the current administration can manage it. The hardline stance probably comes as no surprise to anyone currently seeking a legal path to immigration in this country, even though there is fairly strong support for those who fall under DACA’s umbrella. At least one poll indicates that 64% of Americans support the idea of allowing Dreamers to remain in the only country most of them have ever called home.
In the ever-changing and quickly-evolving world of immigration, it’s wiser than ever to have experienced legal assistance on your side if you’re hoping to remain in this country legally.