Rep. Smith Applauds Ruling in Court Case to Restore Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
December 6, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement after a federal court ordered the Trump administration to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to its original form in the Batalla Vidal v. Wolf case.
“The ruling is a major victory not just for immigrant youth and their families but for all Americans. By upholding this critical program, we are restoring the values that America should reflect and instilling hope for the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers and future DACA recipients who call America home. From the first attempt by the Trump administration to end DACA in 2017, immigrants have been subjected to the Trump administration’s xenophobic policies. This win was made possible by the tireless efforts of countless DACA recipients and advocates who made their voices heard while their livelihoods were under attack.
“The ruling reopens DACA to first-time applicants, restores work authorization and renewals to two years, and makes travel on advance parole more widely available to DACA recipients so they can feel safe and live without fear of being separated from their families and communities. While we celebrate this victory, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the new administration under President-elect Biden to sign into law permanent protections and a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients. This is a long overdue step in the fight for a more fair and just immigration system.”
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