HF Statement on Federal Judge Decision on DACA Program

April 25, 2018 (New York, NY) – Hispanic Federation President José Calderón has issued the following statement regarding Judge Bates’ decision yesterday that the Trump’s administration’s action to terminate the DACA program is unlawful.

“Hispanic Federation and its network of 100 Latino community-based organizations join with tens of millions of people across the United States in celebrating Judge John Bates decision yesterday that the Trump administration must keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in place and continue to accept applications for relief from eligible applicants.

Once again, a federal court has found that the Trump administration has willfully and callously flouted the rule of law in its attempts to target a select class of immigrants from residing in the United States. After promising to resolve the status of DACA recipients, President Trump has systematically rejected any attempt by Congress--including some that have been led by members of his own party--to permanently regularize the status of our young immigrants. Rather than lead on this issue, he has attempted to demonize DACA recipients, humiliate their supporters in Congress, and drag his feet on creating a workable and humane solution.

We know that despite the win in court yesterday, the fight is not over. Judge Bates has stayed his decision for 90 days to give the administration the opportunity to make its case in justifying its decision to end the program. It's time for Congress to come together in a bipartisan fashion and protect hundreds of thousands of Dreamers in our communities. The people have spoken. The courts have spoken. It's time for Congress to act!”