President Joe Biden attacked “MAGA” Republicans in the GOP-governed States Wednesday. He blamed them for a federal appeals court decision that ruled former President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was illegal.
Biden blasted the red states for suing the federal government over the legitimacy of DACA, a decade-old program that provides a reprieve to illegal immigrants who arrived in the United States as children and have documents to work in the country.
Biden stated late Wednesday that he was disappointed by the Fifth Circuit’s decision to declare DACA illegal. “Today’s decision is a result of Republican state officials continuing efforts to strip DACA recipients from the protections, work authorization, and that many have held for more than ten years.”
Biden stated that “My Administration is committed to defending Dreamers from attacks by Republican officials in Texas” and “This DACA challenge is another example of the extreme agenda being promoted by MAGA-Republican representatives.”
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling was a win for Texas and eight other states who filed lawsuits in 2018.
DACA was established in 2012 by Janet Napolitano, then Secretary of DHS. This memorandum came after Congress failed to pass immigration reform legislation that would have provided protection and a pathway for citizens of the same group.
In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas declared DACA null. This prompted the Biden administration in late 2012 to reintroduce the program using a longer process to avoid future legal objections. Nearly 800,000 DACA applications have been approved since then.
In July 2021, a federal judge ruled that DACA was created by Obama in 2012 in violation of the law allowing for immigration levels to be determined.
Wednesday’s decision by the 5th Circuit was based on the appeal filed by the Biden administration against the federal decision. The matter is now being heard by Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Hanen will determine the legality of DACA changes under Biden. These changes were scheduled to take effect at the end of October.
Laurence Benenson (Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Forum), stated that while the 5th Circuit ruling temporarily preserves protections for DACA recipients, it indicated that DACA’s days were numbered.” “The ruling confirms the fact that Congress must provide certainty through a permanent legislative solution that would allow Dreamers long-term stay and work in the United States.
Dr. Raul Ruiz, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (D-CA), called on 10 Senate Republicans and asked them to join Democrats in passing a DACA bill. The House had passed it already.
