Supreme Court Rules: DACA is not terminated

Today, the 18^th of June, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump Administration’s efforts to end the DACA program. This program, called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, protects over 700,000 individuals brought to the U.S. as children from deportation by shielding them and allows them to work. At least 27,000 of these DACA recipients are currently employed as healthcare workers, which are needed now more than ever to heal from the coronavirus pandemic.

With a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court labeled the termination of DACA as unconstitutional. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the majority opinion, supported by the court’s four liberal members, to uphold the DACA program. The Chief Justice claimed that justifications to eradicate the program given by President Trump were inadequate. You can read more about the majority opinion here.

It is possible that the administration will try to provide other reasons to shut down the program in the coming months. Today, the justices did not decide that the Trump Administration’s repeal was a violation of the Construction or federal law. Rather, the majority impeded the repeal on the basis that the Administration did not adequately explain its rationale, which breaches the Administrative Procedure Act, a law from 1946 that ensures that the executive branch follows basic steps before changing its policies.