Supreme Court Declines to Take Up DACA Cases This Term

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2019

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Supreme Court Declines to Take Up DACA Cases This Term

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected the Trump administration’s attempts to rush a review of legal challenges to the termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, this spring. The Court will meet again on February 15 to discuss the possibility of hearing the cases later this year.

For now, three federal district courts’ orders allowing DACA recipients to submit renewal applications remain in effect. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Batalla Vidal v. Nielsen, the first lawsuit that challenged the termination of DACA, on Friday, Jan. 25.

Batalla Vidal was brought by six New York DACA recipients and Make the Road New York. They are represented by the National Immigration Law Center, Make the Road New York, and the Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“The Supreme Court’s decision not to engage Trump’s attempt to sidestep the judicial process and use the courts to do his dirty work is welcome news for DACA recipients, their families, employers, and the country as a whole. The Court’s rejection of the Trump administration’s political games means that DACA recipients can continue to submit renewal applications as several legal challenges to President Trump’s cruel and reckless termination of DACA move forward.

“By all accounts, DACA has been hugely successful and transformative for immigrant youth who simply aspire to be recognized by the country they have called home since they were children. We at the National Immigration Law Center remain committed to vigorously defend DACA alongside the many courageous young people and organizations — including our plaintiffs Martín Batalla Vidal, Antonio Alarcon, Eliana Fernandez, Carolina Fung Feng, Mariano Mondragon, Carlos Vargas, and Make the Road New York — who are fighting back against Trump’s cruel, reckless, and race-driven attack on immigrants.

“We will continue fighting on all fronts: in the courts, Congress, and at the state and local levels so that DACA recipients can remain with their loved ones, thrive, and contribute to their adopted country.”

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