A federal court in Washington, D.C. ruled on August 3 that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) should be fully reestablished. The federal judge has given the Trump administration a 20-day deadline to appeal the decision.
The lawsuit was brought by Princeton University, one of its students, and Microsoft in November 2017 to protest the White House action to terminate DACA. In an initial ruling on April 24, the federal government’s decision to rescind DACA was found unlawful by judge John D. Bates, who is hearing the case.
Under DACA, the students who arrive undocumented in the United States as children are allowed to work and study and obtain protection from deportation. They are often called “DREAMers.”
“We are very pleased that the court today reaffirmed its ruling that the government’s termination of the DACA program ‘was unlawful and must be set aside,’” Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber said.
“Princeton University’s continued success as a world-class institution of learning and research depends on our ability to attract talent from all backgrounds, including DREAMers. Our DACA students have earned numerous academic honors, awards, and fellowships. Their contributions strengthen our community, and we are proud to stand with them,” Eisgruber added.
While I'm very happy to hear that yet another judge has ruled in favor of the #DACA program, the truth is that #Dreamers won't be safe until we pass legislation protecting them.
And if @RepMimiWalters and this Congress won't do that, then we must elect people who will.
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) August 5, 2018
Eisgruber has further urged Congress to recognize the contributions made by DREAMers and grant them protection from deportation.
Last September, the Trump administration formally announced the repealing of the program which protected 800,000 immigrants from deportation.