With the announcement today that the Supreme Court will take up the Republican-led and politically-motivated lawsuit against DAPA and the expansion of DACA, Iowa immigrant families and children will finally have their day in court.
The implementation of DAPA is in sight, but the fight is far from over. Oral arguments on the case will be held in the spring, with a decision like to come in June 2016.
The following is a statement from Hector Salamanca, Advocacy Lead of DREAM Iowa.
Republicans cannot get away with using the courts to enact a political agenda and paralyze everyday decisions made by the government.
In 2014, thousands of Iowans breathed a sigh of relief when the President announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy and creation of a related plan, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Legal Permanent Residents (DAPA).
But our hopes were soon dashed when Republicans hand-selected a judge in Texas who blocked the implementation of DAPA and put the project on hold through an injunction. Since then, people have been holding their breath, waiting for the wheels of justice to turn and for the case to make its way to the Supreme Court.
The stakes of this case are extremely high. If the Supreme Court does the right thing and unfreezes DAPA and DACA expansion, it will transform the lives of American children and families. If they don’t, it will create chaos in our communities.
