SCOTUS ruling means DACA is safe — for now

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s attempts to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program must be vacated, or dropped, due to its violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. In other words, DACA is safe — for now. 

Though this ruling is cause for celebration, it does not offer absolute protection for DACA recipients. The Court ruled that the Trump Administration went about ending the program the wrong way. The Court did not say, however, that the administration does not have the power to end the program, or that ending the program would be unconstitutional. What that means is that the ball is back in Trump's court, and his administration could still take further actions to attack DACA. 

Because of this, it is crucial that Congress take immediate and permanent action. This is not an issue that should be up for debate, and in fact, protecting Dreamers is popular policy across political lines. It seems both Democrats and Republicans can agree that Trump’s continued efforts to take away deportation protections from young immigrants are cruel and wrong.

Trump’s attacks on the DACA program also have a disproportionate effect on Texas families, with more than 110,000 DACA recipients residing in the Lone Star State. Here in Texas, immigrants and DACA recipients are our teachers and our health care workers fighting on the front lines. They’re our family members, friends, and neighbors, and a threat to them is a threat to all of us. 

It’s important to remember, however, that this fight is not just about DACA. Some immigrants never qualified for DACA, and many others were too young to apply for the program. We need Congress to pass legislation that not only protects Dreamers, but also permanently protects other undocumented immigrants from deportation, without separating families and needlessly militarizing our border communities.

Today, we should celebrate this victory. But tomorrow, we must continue fighting to ensure that immigrants’ rights are protected. Home is here and immigrants are here to stay!