AG HEALEY STATEMENT ON DACA RULING

AG HEALEY STATEMENT ON DACA RULINGRuling Stems from Lawsuit Filed by AG Healey, 16 other Attorneys General

BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today issued a statement following the ruling by a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York that blocks the Trump Administration’s efforts to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) while legal challenges are pending:

“From day one, we have stood up for a simple principle: Dreamers are Americans. Ending DACA would be devastating for our economy, for our communities, and for hundreds of thousands of young people who call America their home. Today, a second federal court has recognized that attempts by the Trump Administration to terminate the DACA program are illegal. With attorneys general from across the country, I will continue to protect thousands of Massachusetts residents and make our federal government keep its promises.”

The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by AG Healey and a coalition of 16 other attorneys general in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in September 2017 to defend the DACA program. The preliminary injunction issued today orders the Trump Administration to maintain the DACA program on the same terms and conditions for those already participating. Current DACA grantees can nowrequest renewal while litigation to defend the program continues.

Last month, a federal judge in California issued a similar ruling that DACA must remain in place while legal challenges to the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate DACA are pending.

AG Healey previously sent a letter urging President Trump to maintain and defend DACA.

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