White House Law Violation Creates Risks for Latinos
White House Law Violation Creates Risks for Latinos
(Washington D.C.) – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is requiring undocumented youth who received 3-year work permits under the president’s expanded executive action known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to return them, after a federal judge ruled that the agency issued those permits in violation of a previously-issued court order. Critics have argued that the president’s excessive use of executive actions is unconstitutional and has made it difficult for Congress and the White House to work together on greater immigration reform. In this case, even after a judge issued an injunction blocking the expanded DACA as the court’s evaluate its legality, the administration continued to issue 3-year work permits. Now DHS is requiring DREAMERS to turn in the 3 year permits issued to them in error and have them replaced with a 2-year term one. Due to the administration’s mistake, those who do not turn in the 3-year permit risk losing their deferred action status.
Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative, released the following statement:
“No one’s interests are protected when government policy begins to rely too heavily on unilateral orders from the White House. We depend on Congress and the president to work together to ensure that laws are openly debated, rationally implemented, and executed in compliance with the law and the Constitution. Because of the president’s unilateral actions, now thousands of DREAMERS are at risk of losing their work permit and immigration status – after already having provided critical personal information to the agency tasked with enforcing our immigration laws.
Despite all of this uncertainty, many of the DREAMERS who unfortunately find themselves stuck in the middle of a legal dispute, have already complied with the order. That’s good news both for those who ultimately seek permanent legal authority to remain in the U.S., and for the country that benefits from their talents.
DREAMERS who were raised in this country and know no other home deserve a chance to contribute and prosper in a legal manner. Congress needs to push once again for a bipartisan solution to our immigration system that will attend to not only DREAMERS but the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country desperate for a legal way to provide for themselves and their families. Until then, both our country and the immigrant population will remain subject to the president’s unilateral actions whose legality is still undetermined.”
For Interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact Brian Faughnan, 703-678-4581 or Josh Rivera, 202-763-4428
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