Washington, D.C.– The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has released its decision in the case Texas v. United States to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. This decision will prevent thousands of DACA-eligible persons from rightfully applying for temporary relief. While the decision leaves current DACA recipients to keep and renew their status for the time being, the case will be sent back to a court that has ruled against the program in the past.
DACA has transformed lives, but it has been repeatedly subjected to legal challenges that have put the lives of all undocumented immigrants in limbo. Yesterday’s decision further endangers the rights, safety, and dignity of DACA recipients. Rather than move forward toward a more permanent legislative solution, the court has chosen to take several steps backward in yesterday’s ruling.
Church World Service denounces the court’s decision to further threaten the existence of DACA and continue to devalue the lives of its recipients. For the past ten years, DACA has protected millions of immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, and have called this country home ever since.
“DACA recipients do not deserve to live in a constant state of fear and uncertainty” said Meredith Owen, Director of Policy and Advocacy at CWS. “Faith communities across the United States have spoken out clearly in support of DACA recipients since the program’s beginning. We recognize and affirm this call to love and welcome our neighbor, and we recognize the inherent dignity of all human beings, regardless of immigration status.The unjust decision the court made today does not reflect that belief.”
Ultimately, despite this court’s ruling, congressional action can still decide this issue by continuing to work towards permanent paths to citizenship and immigration legislation that upholds dignity and compassion rather than uncertainty and negligence. CWS knows that DACA recipients are friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, essential workers, educators, community leaders, and much more. We urge the Biden administration and Congress to condemn today’s ruling and recognize the importance of investing in immigrants by passing permanent pathways for DACA recipients.
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