The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments this week on a case that could end DACA. That’s the Obama-era program that gives some undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children a work permit and temporary protection from deportation — but no path to citizenship.
More than 200 people showed up in New Orleans on Thursday to hear oral arguments and voice their support for DACA — which began more than a decade ago and has provided protection to some 850,000 people.
The suit filed by, Texas and other GOP-led states, argues DACA causes their states additional healthcare and education costs. In court Thursday, the Biden administration argued the states don't have legal standing to bring their case. And New Jersey — which intervened in the case to defend DACA alongside the Department of Justice — argued the program affects far more people than the roughly 500,000 with the DACA status today — like the children of program recipients.
This is the second DACA case that could end up in the Supreme Court. The high court upheld the program in 2020 after the Trump administration tried to end it. Current recipients can re-apply every two years to renew their DACA status, but the case has barred new applicants from the program barred for years.
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The Trump administration cut most of the federal funding for a program providing free legal counsel to unaccompanied immigrant children who are seeking asylum in the U.S. The money was restored under court order, but attorneys say the lapse sent organizations into a tailspin that’s still playing out today. -
The rule — proposed this week — would require immigrants to submit biographic data like fingerprints and DNA when applying for a range of immigration benefits with Citizenship and Immigration Services. -
Trump administration foreign aid cuts are pinching Mexico’s already overburdened asylum process. That means long wait times for refugees who, barred from entering the United States, are turning to Mexico for safety. -
The self-described conservative group sued the Democratic governor for records to see if she ordered local law enforcement to not comply with federal immigration efforts. A press person said the records don't exist because she ordered DPS to comply with the law. -
Federal court data shows more than 2.3 million asylum applications are pending in the U.S. this year. But for Kamel Maklad, even winning protection didn't mean freedom.
