Immigration

Judge Orders Trump Administration to Fully Reinstate DACA

Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Last week, a New York judge ordered the Trump Administration to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as it existed during the Obama administration, giving thousands of immigrants the opportunity to apply for legal working status..

“The ruling is a huge victory for people who have been waiting to apply for DACA for the first time,” Veronica Garcia, staff attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, said in a statement.

Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “post a public notice, within 3 calendar days of this Order [saying] that it is accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under DACA.” The judge pointed out that the department’s leader, Chad Wolf, tried to limit the DACA program without having the authority to do so.

DACA currently protects nealy 700,000 undocumented young immigrants and provides them with the opportunity to legally work in the country. As of July, an estimated 300,000 young people living in the U.S. were eligible for the program, but hadn’t been able to apply because of the restrictions. 

The ruling is the latest blow to the Trump Administration’s attempts to end or limit the DACA program. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court sided with DREAMers when the administration tried to end the program, saving the legal statuses of around 640,000 immigrants. 
“It is inhumane to take away this opportunity that we have worked so hard to obtain,” Marissa Molina, a DACA recipient, told Revolution English at the time. “How inhumane it is to take that away from so many people who have fought so hard to say ‘I am not only going to fight for my American dream, but I am also going to fight for my community, for my state, for my family.’”

Alexandra Tirado Oropeza is a Venezuelan journalist covering politics, immigration, entertainment and social justice. She moved to the U.S. in 2014 to pursue a Writing degree at The University of Tampa, and after graduating, she moved to Los Angeles where she works in broadcast and as a freelance writer. She’s passionate about equality, freedom of speech, art and dogs.