The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants, the second stunning election-season rebuke from the court in a week after its ruling that it's illegal to fire people because they're gay or transgender.
Immigrants who are part of the 8-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program will retain their protection from deportation and their authorization to work in the United States — safe almost certainly at least through the November election, immigration experts said.
After Thursday's ruling, more than 700,000 dreamers can stay in the United States.
“I think that this allows them to continue that path to follow that dream that they hold in their hearts which is the red, white, and blue of America,” said Domingo Garcia, President of LULAC.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision that the government failed to give an adequate justification for ending the program. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Houston) slammed the decision on the Senate floor.
“Chief Justice Roberts has been playing games with the court to achieve the policy outcomes he desires,” said Cruz.
But the door appears to remain open for other legal actions. Roberts also went on to explain it wasn't necessarily unconstitutional for the Trump administration to end DACA, but the way it did so was.
“The unfortunate side to it of course for DACA recipients is that they'll have a chance to do it over again, and that is the concern for them,” said immigration attorney Eric Cedillo.
The President Tweeted after the decision, saying "As President of the United States, I am asking for a legal solution on DACA, not a political one, consistent with the rule of law. The Supreme Court is not willing to give us one, so now we have to start this process all over again."
But for now, DACA remains intact.
“This is yet again another reminder of why we need comprehensive immigration reform. We cannot continue to have 700,000 people everyday wake up not knowing whether they are going to be in this country or not,” said Dallas ISD School Board Trustee Miguel Solis.
