Jump to content








U.S. judges weigh fate of programme protecting young immigrants


webfact

Recommended Posts

U.S. judges weigh fate of programme protecting young immigrants

By Mica Rosenberg and Lucy Nicholson

 

2018-05-15T232803Z_1_LYNXNPEE4E20A_RTROPTP_4_USA-IMMIGRATION-DACA.JPG

Protestors demonstrate against the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program outside the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California, U.S. May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

 

NEW YORK/PASADENA, California (Reuters) - A panel of three appeals court judges in California on Tuesday asked the federal government to defend its decision to end a program protecting from deportation some immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children, who are often referred to as "Dreamers."

 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals must rule on whether to uphold a lower court's nationwide injunction ordering the government to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme in place while litigation challenging its termination proceeds.

 

The administration of President Donald Trump announced in September it would scrap the 2012 programme launched by former President Barack Obama, and said it was up to Congress to find a legislative solution.

 

Several plaintiffs, including the University of California, which enrols many DACA recipients, sued over the administration's decision, and in January, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco issued the injunction. A judge in Brooklyn, New York, made a similar finding, and a judge in Washington, D.C., gave the government extra time to explain its reasoning.

 

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the programme was unlawful when he announced the end of DACA, a position the appeals court judges asked attorneys for the government to explain on Tuesday.

 

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hashim Mooppan responded that it was within the government's discretion to decide the fate of the programme.

 

"It is perfectly lawful to have a zero tolerance enforcement policy, but it is potentially unlawful to not enforce the law on a large swath of people," Mooppan said.

 

Lawyers for plaintiffs challenging DACA's termination argued that while Obama was clearly within his rights to establish the programme, its end robbed hundreds of thousands of young immigrants of protections they had come to rely on.

 

Outside the Pasadena courthouse on Tuesday, some 30 DACA supporters gathered in a rose garden, shouting slogans in Spanish and English.

 

Ali Torabi, 27, a DACA recipient who came from Iran with his mother and younger brother 23 years ago, said he is hoping for a favourable decision from the courts since Congress seems unable to act.

 

"Both parties are playing a lot of politics with our lives," Torabi said. "They've let us down so many times."

 

The panel of judges, all appointed by Democratic presidents, could issue its decision at any time. The Supreme Court, which in February declined a request to weigh in before the appellate court, said at the time it assumed the appeals court would rule swiftly.

 

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg in New York and Lucy Nicholson in Pasadena; Editing by Sue Horton)

 
reuters_logo.jpg
-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-16
Link to comment
Share on other sites


University of California being one of the plaintiffs is probably helping to fund the case using taxpayers money to fight the case so the taxpayer pays on both sides.  You know a system has gone to pieces when the governments of various entities are constantly fighting each other over every issue that comes up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...