State Bar Association and AG James celebrate DACA win

June 19, 2020 Rob Abruzzese

“President Trump’s actions to interfere with the operations of the U.S. Postal Service in advance of the presidential election is deeply disturbing,” said Attorney General Letitia James. Photo: Richard Drew/AP

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The NYS Bar Association and the state Attorney General were both thrilled to hear the announcement that the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that will likely save an estimated 150,000 New Yorkers from deportation.

“Today’s decision reaffirms that there is no question that home is here for more than 700,000 Dreamers across the country,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “The Supreme Court’s decision today sets aside an inhumane injustice by the Trump administration and permits young people who go to school here, who work here, who pay taxes here, who raise families here, and who are vital members of our communities to continue to be able to live in their homes without fear of arrest or deportation.”

In a 5-4 ruling with Chief Judge John Roberts siding with the majority, the court ruled essentially that the government failed to provide a good reason for ending the program, which protects immigrants who were brought here as children.

“America is a country of immigrants; our culture made richer by their contributions and our economy made more prosperous because of their work,” James continued. “I am proud to have co-led the fight to protect this critical program and the more than 700,000 DACA recipients across the country, and more than 150,000 right here in New York. To our Dreamers, know that you are valued, that you are loved, and that we will always fight to protect you. Si se puede!”

NYS Bar Association President Scott Karson. Photo courtesy of the NYSBA

The decision came as a result of the consolidation of three cases — Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, Trump v. NAACP, and McAleenan v. Vidal.

Scott Karson, the president of the NYS Bar Association, said that the victory is important because it extends legal protections and due process to DACA recipients, also known as “Dreamers.”

“The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has long championed the rights of immigrants and the need to protect their access to the legal services to which everyone, regardless of their documentation status, is entitled,” Karson said. “We applaud the court for providing certainty to the Dreamers, who have been living in fear of being forced to depart the only country many of them have ever known as home, having been brought to the U.S. as children.

“This decision is also a victory for the rule of law, as the court rightly recognized the Trump administration failed to engage in a deliberative and genuine process when it undertook its effort to end DACA three years ago. To that end, we agree with Chief Justice John Roberts’ determination that the government, regardless of who is in the White House, has a duty and responsibility when making policy that was absent in this instance,” he said.