A federal judge in New York on Friday resumed the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program and ordered Homeland Security to process new applicants quickly.
President Donald J. Trump has repeatedly attempted to end the Obama-era program during his four-year term. Ruling Friday now ensures that thousands of immigrants whose parents brought them to the United States as young children continue to have the opportunity to work and study in the country without the threat of deportation.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis issued a six-page ruling calling on the Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice on its website by Monday to accept initial filings.
Existing applicants will have to reapply each year, but will remain in the program.
The National Immigration Law Center called the verdict a “great victory”.
“This is a great victory for immigrant youth, led by immigrant youth. We wouldn’t be celebrating this day if our brave plaintiffs hadn’t fought to confirm their #HomeIsHere, ”the National Immigration Law Center tweeted after the verdict. “This is a day to celebrate and we look forward to working with the new Biden administration to create a lasting solution for youth and immigrant communities.”
The Court today overturned Chad Wolf’s July 2020 memo. This means that the government:
1️⃣ Reopen the #DACA program for first-time applicants.
2️⃣ Reset the protection period to two years
3️⃣ Make Advanced Parole DACA receivers available again without restrictions.
– National Immigration Rights Center (@NILC) December 4, 2020
The government was also instructed to advise that EAD and DACA protection will be extended to two years for those who have received one-year grants under the Wolf Memo.
Further information is available at https://t.co/mbQARmZiyA.
– National Immigration Rights Center (@NILC) December 4, 2020
Comments are closed.