Biden vows to appeal ‘deeply disappointing’ DACA decision

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said on Saturday the Justice Department intends to appeal a federal judge’s ruling illegal an Obama-era program that has protected hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth from the expulsion and he renewed his calls to Congress to create a permanent solution.

He said in a statement that Friday’s ruling was “deeply disappointing,” and although the judge’s order did not affect those already covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, it “relegates hundreds thousands of young immigrants in an uncertain future “.

The program has enabled thousands of young people who were brought to the United States illegally as children, or whose visas remained too long, to live, work and stay in the country. Many of the recipients, commonly referred to as “Dreamers”, have now been in the United States for a decade or more.

But Texas and eight other states filed a lawsuit to shut down DACA, arguing that President Barack Obama did not have the power to create the program because it was bypassing Congress. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Houston agreed, and although his decision left the program untouched for existing beneficiaries, it barred the government from approving any new applications.

In his statement, Biden urged Congress to move forward with legislation to permanently protect those covered by the program. “Only Congress can guarantee a permanent solution by giving Dreamers a path to citizenship that will provide the certainty and stability these young people need and deserve,” said the president.

“I have repeatedly asked Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, and I now renew this call with the utmost urgency,” he said. “I sincerely hope that through reconciliation or other means, Congress will finally ensure the safety of all Dreamers, who have lived too long in fear.

The House approved a law in March creating a path to citizenship for those affected, but the measure has stalled in the Senate. Immigration advocates hope to include a provision in the broad budget legislation Democrats want to pass this year, but it’s not clear whether the language will survive.