The U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s appeal Thursday to dismiss the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which gave protections to thousands of undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.
Last year, the Supreme Court hearing began for President Trump’s plan to end the program, leaving 700,000 immigrants unsure about their future in the country.
The court ruled 5-4 against the administration, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. leading the majority. The court’s ruling called the decision to cancel DACA “arbitrary and not justified,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Young Dreamers can obtain a work permit through the DACA program if they have a clean criminal record. Many DACA recipients are teachers, lawyers and scholars.
Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley took to Twitter to applaud the court’s ruling.
#HereToStay @CSULB Congratulations to all who worked hard to defend #DACA The struggle continues for a fair and comprehensive immigration federal law. We are in it for the long run. https://t.co/fvy2TXqUaS
— Jane Close Conoley (@PresConoley) June 18, 2020
Mayor Robert Garcia said the decision “is uplifting and absolutely the right thing to do,” noting that Long Beach City signed onto the case with an amicus brief in support of DACA. Both LBCC and CSULB educate thousands of students who qualify for the program.
This Supreme Court decision to support DACA is uplifting and absolutely the right thing to do. As an immigrant, I am so grateful that these Dreamers are going to get some of the same opportunities that I got. They now deserve a clear pathway to citizenship.
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) June 18, 2020
City News Service Contributed to this report.