Supreme Court to hear arguments over efforts to end DACA, deport ‘Dreamers’

Nov. 12 (UPI) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is expected to hear arguments about President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. A decision in the case could affect 800,000 migrants facing deportation.

Trump has fought since he took office to wind down DACA and end protections for young immigrants in the program known as “Dreamers,” who were brought to the United States illegally as children. Lower federal courts ruled that Trump failed to offer a sufficient reason to end the program, created by the Obama administration.

More than 90 percent of DACA recipients are employed and 45 percent are in school, a government study found, and proponents argue that many become contributing members of American society — physicians, attorneys, engineers and military officers.

“We represent employers of all sizes in making the case to uphold DACA,” Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote Friday in a blog post supporting the program, also saying “serious harm” will be done if the program ends. Microsoft is among more than 140 companies that support DACA.

Trump said last year he was willing to keep the DACA program if Congress took the steps needed to fix it. Federal courts ultimately issued an injunction that nullified the administration’s deadline.

Most recently, Trump said he wants a “bipartisan deal” that benefits everyone.

In a brief filed with the court, the Trump administration said the repeal of DACA was an administrative procedure that is not subject to judicial review — and argued that President Barack Obama’s actions to start the program in 2012 were unlawful. In 2017, then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Department of Homeland Security was “legally required” to end DACA.