On Aug. 3, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates upheld his earlier ruling that the Trump administration must restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in a lawsuit brought up by the University, Maria De La Cruz Perales Sanchez ’18, and Microsoft. DACA grants protection to undocumented immigrants who came to the country illegally as children.
In the latest ruling, Bates gave the government until Aug. 23 to determine whether to appeal the decision, saying that the government must give a “rational explanation for its decision” for ending the program.
In a University statement, President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 reaffirmed the University’s commitment to DACA students, citing that their contributions strengthen the University community as a whole. Eisgruber also noted that the University will continue its efforts to support a more permanent solution regarding DACA.
“Though we are delighted with today’s ruling, we will continue to urge Congress to enact a permanent solution that recognizes the contributions DREAMers make and grants them the permanent protection and certainty that they deserve,” Eisgruber said in the statement.
Bates had previously ruled that the Trump administration’s decision to end the program was “arbitrary and capricious.” In the latest ruling, Bates ruled that the Trump administration has provided no reasonable justification for its rescission of DACA.