Sixty-five local governments and advocacy organizations come together to support Dreamers
SAN FRANCISCO (December 17, 2021) — City Attorney David Chiu this week joined 65 cities and counties and advocacy organizations from across the nation in filing an amicus curiae brief urging the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The brief, led by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, calls on the court to reverse a July 2021 lower court decision that declared the DACA program to be unlawful, ending the program for new DACA recipients and putting the status of 600,000 existing DACA recipients in jeopardy.
“Our Dreamers represent the very best of our country,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “The DACA policy benefits everyone, allowing recipients to give back to their communities and enrich our local economies. This is exactly the type of policy we should be encouraging and supporting, not undermining.”
DACA is a program that grants protection from deportation to some young people who were brought to the United States as children. Thus, the program allows DACA recipients to openly engage in their communities and interact with government without fear of deportation. The program benefits DACA recipients and non-DACA recipients alike as program recipients are able to contribute to local economies and safely report crimes to law enforcement.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2018 by the State of Texas along with seven other states, sought to end the DACA program. In July 2021, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas declared the DACA program was unlawful.
This week’s public sector amicus brief argues the lower court’s ruling undermines the safety and security of DACA recipients and the benefits DACA recipients have conferred on their local neighborhoods and communities.
The case is Texas v. United States of America, in the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Appeal No. 21-40680. A copy of the brief with all joining jurisdictions and organizations can be found here.
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