RAICES Responds to Texas Judge Ruling DACA Unlawful

TEXAS – In response to U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen’s ruling today that DACA is unlawful, RAICES vows to defend the nearly 600,000 people currently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) who continue to live in political and legal limbo as the case Texas v. U.S. likely heads to the Supreme Court for a final ruling on the program’s legality.

Texas is home to the second-largest population of DACA recipients. Since the program’s inception, RAICES has supported filings for thousands of undocumented youth in Texas. We have seen and felt how DACA was never enough.

DACA recipients and their families have existed in political and legal limbo since its inception — a cruelty thrust upon a community that relies on the federal program to live, work, and contribute to the country they call home. Forcing people to apply every two years to live in this country is cruel, inhumane, psychologically and emotionally damaging, and a harsh reality that no human deserves. It’s time we see people for their dignity and humanity and finally grant permanent protection to our undocumented community members.

“We’ve said this before, and we’ll repeat it: Relying on the courts to protect DACA is not a viable strategy to protect our communities from deportation. Congress and the Biden administration must create a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented people in the U.S. The time for waiting is over,” said Faisal Al-Juburi, spokesperson for RAICES.

RAICES attorney Felix Villalobos is available for interviews. RAICES to issue a more comprehensive statement on raicestexas.org with our legal analysis.