The following is reaction to Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to reject the Trump administrations effort to end legal protection for young immigrants.
RAICES
DACA lives, for now. After years of relentless attacks on immigrants, today’s decision is a much-needed win for our community. It’s a win for the organizers, advocates and DACA recipients who fought so hard for this over so many administrations.
“We know that DACA was never enough and millions of people continue to live under the threat of detention, separation from family and deportation by DHS, an armed, white-supremacist wing of the U.S. government. We pushed Obama to act and we defeated Trump in court: this is the power of organizing and movement building. Today demonstrates every petition we sign, protest we attend, and call we make to policymakers matters. We’re going to keep fighting until that disgusting man is out of the White House,” said Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer at RAICES.
TSTA
Texas State Teachers Association President Noel Candelaria issued the following statement:
“We applaud the Supreme Court’s decision protecting the Dreamers, the young immigrants who have grown up in this country and are making huge contributions to our society. They are students, educators, business people, health care workers and other professionals. Many are on the front lines this very day, risking their own lives to save the lives of others during this coronavirus pandemic. This is the only country these young people have ever known, and by ruling in their favor the Supreme Court has struck a huge blow for democracy, humanity and decency.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
“We are disappointed with today’s SCOTUS decision, but it does not resolve the underlying issue that President Obama’s original executive order exceeded his constitutional authority. We look forward to continuing litigating that issue in our case now pending in the Southern District of Texas.”
Progress Texas
“Trump’s attempts to take deportation protections away from young immigrants are cruel and wrong,” said Diana Gómez, advocacy manager at Progress Texas. “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. This Supreme Court ruling is cause for celebration because ending this vicious attack on DACA is not only a win for its recipients, it’s a win for all Texans. Now, we need Congress to take action to permanently protect DACA recipients and all undocumented immigrants from deportation.”
Texas Democratic Party
“Today’s victory for DREAMers is a victory for us all. DREAMers are our doctors, nurses, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, neighbors, and members of the military. DREAMers are here to stay,” said Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa. “It is fiercely American to look out and protect one another. Our DREAMers have always deserved the same protections as anybody else and now they will get those protections they deserve. We applaud the Supreme Court for making the right decision. Diversity is America’s greatest strength. The United States is a nation built by immigrants. DREAMers embody American values and contribute to the strength and resilience of the United States every single day.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-McAllen)
“In the midst of a global pandemic, the Supreme Court has delivered the country some good news. Dreamers and DACA recipients are here to stay. They are contributing members of our society and are Americans in every way except on paper. Even a Trump loaded bench resolved this question in the favor of DACA recipients, and so let us move past the arguments and enact legislation to provide these individuals with a path toward citizenship.”
“Today is an historic victory for our Dreamers, and our nation. DACA was created to protect the more than 100,000 young people who call Texas home. This decision reaffirms that their home is here and they are here to stay.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo)
“The Coronavirus Pandemic has shown our country how much we rely on our DACA recipients. Across the country, more than 200,000 DACA recipients are working to protect the health and safety of Americans as we confront COVID-19. They are making sure our children are still educated; food is still grown, packaged, shipped and cooked; and our patients are still cared for. Our communities are stronger and our nation’s future is brighter thanks to this Supreme Court decision.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)
“I believe the Supreme Court has thrust upon us a unique moment and an opportunity. We need to take action and pass legislation that will unequivocally allow these young men and women to stay in the only home, in the only country, they’ve known… They deserve to know that when they apply to college, grow up their families, live their lives, and do all the things everybody else wants to do, that they can do so without a dark cloud hanging over their plans… In order to come up with a solution, it’s going to take buy-in from the Senate, the House, and the White House.”
St. Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville)
“Our nation’s highest court rejected the current Administration’s attempt to end young immigrants’ protections from deportation. This is a wonderful win for DACA recipients and their loving families!… In today’s ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the 8-year-old program, which shields certain young immigrants from deportation, was inappropriately terminated by the Trump Administration. In effect, in its pro-immigrant ruling, the Supreme Court rejected the current Administration’s present bid to end young immigrants’ protections from deportation and their ability to lawfully work through DACA authorization in the United States.”
