WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled today that the Obama era Deferment of Action on Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, would remain intact. Marking the second time in a week that the court ruled against the Trump administration. 

Since DACA’s launch in 2012 it has provided opportunities for thousands of people. As of 2019 there were just shy of 700,000 DACA recipients or ‘Dreamers’ in the U.S. The program allows ‘dreamers’ who pass a background check to work legally, and apply for college loans. 

The average age for a DACA recipient is 26 and about two-thirds are between the ages of 21-30. A study done by the Center for American Progress found that there are about 254,000 children born in the U.S. who have at least one DACA parent. Many own homes, have gone to school, are putting their own kids through school and work a wide range of jobs. 

In short, despite their alleged ‘illegal’ status they are productive members of American society. 

The 5-4 ruling emphasized that the administration failed to provide adequate reasoning to justify the DACA program’s termination. The decision was a blow to the Trump administration and is now being used by the president as a rallying point for the 2020 election.

These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020

While DACA is safe for now, the Trump administration could move again trying to rescind the program. What that might look like is anyone’s guess. Anti-immigration sentiment has been a consistent rallying point for Trump’s conservative followers who may find themselves on the fringe of an issue once again, as public opinion is generally highly favorable to DACA. 

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