TEXAS JUDGE ISSUES ANOTHER RULING AGAINST DACA
Following news this week that Texas Judge Andrew Hanen had – as predicted – issued a ruling against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and its estimated 600,000 beneficiaries, America’s Voice sprung into action, taking part in a steering committee meeting immediately convened by the Home Is Here campaign, and releasing bilingual statements quoting AV Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas and DACA-recipient and AV Political Associate Yuna Oh. “DACA recipients are parents, homeowners, leaders and caregivers,” Oh said. “We are part of the American identity, whether the GOP recognizes it or not.” AV also assisted in a Home Is Here coalition-led press call where advocates, experts, and litigators reacted to the ruling. Cárdenas moderated as MALDEF’s Andrea Senteno joined immigrant leaders with and without DACA from CHIRLA, Make The Road New York, the Haan Center/NAKASEC and United We Dream, to discuss the implications and next steps. Listen to a recording of the press conference here, and read more about it here.
ANTI-IMMIGRANT JUDICIAL PIPELINE STRIKES AGAIN
For years, trying to end the popular and successful DACA program has been a priority of impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. As with Paxton’s other anti-immigrant lawsuits – and there have been many – he’s relied on the ability to federal judge shop in Texas for jurists he perceives to be friendly to his cause. One of Paxton’s favorite judges in this anti-immigrant judicial pipeline has been Andrew Hanen, AV Legal Advisor David Leopold writes. While the Trump administration thankfully failed in its attempt to kill DACA, “Paxton remained undaunted,” shopping his case to Hanen, who issued yet another ruling against the program this week after stopping first-time applications in 2021. “His courtroom has been a favorite destination for Paxton in his brazen effort to politicize the federal courts,” Leopold wrote. Read more here.
MAYORS AND COUNTY EXECUTIVES URGE ACTION ON TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS
More than 30 mayors and county executives from the Cities for Action coalition are urging the Biden administration to designate or redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 11 countries, saying that the designations will both protect immigrants already here from being deported back to dangerous conditions, and fiscally benefit U.S. communities as a whole. For many years, administrations from both parties have used TPS to protect immigrants fleeing natural disasters, political instability, and humanitarian crises, allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S. when they cannot safely return to their home countries. The designations would also be an economic boon, because individuals will be able to both support themselves and infuse additional revenue into their communities and states. Read more here.
AV JOINS IMMIGRANT YOUTH AND ALLIES IN MARCHING FOR A PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP
Following Judge Hanen’s decision against DACA this week, AV joined young immigrants and allies from United We Dream, CASA, and others for a march and rally demanding Congress pass a pathway to legalization. They were later joined by Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia and Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez, who made a public plea urging their colleagues to join them in supporting the American Dream and Promise Act. Click below to share our tweet from the rally and show your support for DACA recipients.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
In anticipation of continued litigation over DACA, advocates are urging current program beneficiaries to renew their work and deportation protections as soon as possible. However, the filing and biometric fees paid to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of this process can be financially daunting for many applicants. That’s why United We Dream created a renewal fund to encourage as many DACA recipients as possible to renew their status while they still can. If you are a DACA recipient and need support with your application renewal fees, click here. If you are an ally and want to donate to United We Dream’s DACA Renewal Fund, click here.
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