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Pasadena Congresswoman Disappointed By U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Block President’s Immigration Action

Published on Thursday, June 23, 2016 | 12:29 pm
 
Us.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu (far right) shown speaking at a recent pro-immigration rally in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, the Supreme Court released a 4-4 decision in U.S. v. Texas, the legal challenge to President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The tie ruling means that an earlier injunction by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is upheld. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), who signed an amicus brief in support of the President’s actions and worked with the Administration to push for the program, released the following statement:

“I am terribly disappointed that the Supreme Court denied immigration relief to millions of American families. Continuing to block the expanded DACA and DAPA program is an upsetting setback to immigrant communities throughout our country. Upholding the Fifth Circuit’s decision has only further delayed the inevitable need for action to protect the millions of immigrant families already in the United States,” said Rep. Chu.

“Every day, our country benefits from immigrant contributions as they work, go to school, start businesses, volunteer, and lay deep roots in our communities. And yet, because of Congressional inaction on comprehensive immigration reform, we force them to live in fear that any day, parents could be separated from their children, or children could be sent to a country they’ve never known. That is why President Obama’s executive actions – following the precedent set by presidents from each party going back decades – were so necessary and right. In addition, this ruling demonstrates the need for a full Supreme Court so that we can fairly move forward with these important actions.

“However, the fight does not stop here. We will continue to push on and fight for relief for millions of immigrants in our country who continue to live in fear. Congress must act and we must work to achieve a lasting solution through comprehensive immigration reform.”

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive orders that would defer deportation for approximately 4.7 million aspiring Americans living in the U.S. The largest initiatives included an expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the creation of a new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program. The expanded DACA program extends DACA eligibility to those who entered the U.S. before the age of 16, regardless of their current age, and who have lived in U.S. continuously since January 1, 2010. The DAPA program allows parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to request deferred action and employment authorization for three years, provided they have lived in the U.S .continuously since January 1, 2010, and pass required background checks. Those programs were halted by an injunction that was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in May of 2015. On March 8, 2016, Rep. Chu joined 185 other Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 39 Members of the U.S. Senate, in their individual capacities as Members of Congress, to file an amicus brief in support of the President’s executive action programs.

Leading up to the President’s executive actions, Rep. Chu as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) led meetings with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson, DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and senior White House aides, Cecilia Munoz and Neil Eggleston, to discuss the need to prioritize family unity in immigration reform. A copy of CAPAC’s executive action recommendations to Secretary Jeh Johnson can be found here.

 

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