June 18, 2020
Los Angeles, CA — CIPC applauds SCOTUS’ decision to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) created in 2012. In a win for immigrant justice—especially the country’s nearly 800,000 DACA grantees whose lives have been hanging in the balance for months—SCOTUS cited the Trump Administration’s attempts to terminate the program as “arbitrary and capricious.”
Nearly 200,000 family members, colleagues, neighbors, classmates and friends who call California home are DACA grantees. Upholding this critical and essential program ensures opportunities to create a future for California’s immigrants but our collective work for immigrant justice is not done. After today’s decision, the Trump Administration could again aim to undo DACA. This Administration’s failure to address our broken immigration system demands that the critical work of organizing for comprehensive immigration reform continue. In a moment where a Black led movement for racial justice is demanding we end the criminalization of Black communities and value Black lives, we know our work is just beginning. While we celebrate today, we must continue to push for a more humane way for immigrants to enter and stay and for all communities to thrive.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a ray of light, capping a series of court actions that bend the arc towards justice,” said CIPC executive director, Cynthia Buiza. “At a time of already great suffering in immigrant communities from the combined impacts of the pandemic and the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, this decision gives us much needed time to strategize and ensure protections for all immigrants, including DACA grantees, becomes permanent. The nation is on our side. Poll after poll has shown most people in this country want a path to citizenship for those with DACA. We reiterate our commitment to creating lasting solutions that uphold the dignity and humanity of all that call this country home.”