We are thrilled to see the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this month that maintained the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the Trump Administration did not follow proper legal procedures in terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2017. This decision means that the DACA program can continue for now and that hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth will remain protected from deportation.

However, the Court’s opinion could still allow the Administration to end DACA. The Administration has not yet announced what it will do in response to the decision. Jorge Barón, Executive Director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, called out the need for continuing advocacy for these immigrants who entered the U.S. as children:

“We urge the Administration to put politics aside and choose to continue the DACA program. The lives of DACA recipients, their livelihoods, and their contributions to our communities are at stake. We urge the Administration to make clear that it will abandon its attempts to terminate the program. At the same time, we know that DACA does not provide a pathway to citizenship and so we urge Congress to do what it should have done long ago and pass a clean version of the Dream Act.”

Although DACA is still in effect for now, this decision does not allow individuals to newly apply for DACA. Those who have previously been granted DACA and remain eligible can still apply. More information is available here.

–Janet Varon, NoHLA Executive Director

Related:

Free DACA Legal Clinics in July! [this description predates the Supreme Court decision]

The King County Bar Association in partnership with the Washington chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association is holding FREE virtual DACA legal clinics. You can sign up for a FREE 45-60 minute consultation with an AILA-WA attorney. 

These legal clinics will give current and former DACA recipients the opportunity to get the legal advice they need. We encourage you to sign up now, in advance, so you can schedule a one on one session with an immigration attorney. 

Depending on the SCOTUS decision, the attorney could:  

• Screen for potential forms of immigration relief and answer any questions you might have,
• Or, review your completed DACA renewal application packet before you submit (if DACA renewals are allowed by the SCOTUS decision) .

You can sign up for a clinic appointment here.

Clinic dates are: 

• Saturday, July 11, 10 am – 1 pm 
• Wednesday, July 15,  4 pm – 7 pm 
• Saturday, July 18, 10 am – 1 pm 
• Wednesday, July 22, 4 pm – 7 pm 
• Saturday, July 25, 10 am – 1 pm 

Clinics are sponsored by the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. Please share with your networks.