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Following the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent decision ordering a lower court to review proposed changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, America Forward issued the following statement:

“The recent ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals leaves hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients in continued limbo – unsure of their ultimate legal status as the case makes its way through the justice system – and forecloses the DACA application process to potentially thousands of new immigrants. 

More than 600,000 people are currently enrolled in the DACA program; they are students, educators, workers, children, parents, and community members. The continued uncertainty about the fate of the DACA program – and the benefits and protections it currently provides – perpetuates trauma associated with stress and isolation, and makes it that much harder for immigrants and their families to create stability in their lives and communities. Every day without clear resolution of this issue, thousands more people are at risk of being separated from their families and loved ones. 

The 5th Circuit’s ruling is yet another reminder of the urgent need for Congress to act decisively to make DACA protections permanent, establish a common-sense path to citizenship, and ensure that current and future DACA recipients are able to live and work in their communities, free from uncertainty and fear.”