Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Action Fund Executive Director
Angela Maria Kelley released the following statement at the conclusion of today’s oral arguments in
United States v. Texas, the case concerning two immigration enforcement policies—Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, and an expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA—announced in November 2014 and challenged by more than two dozen conservative state attorneys general and governors:
Today’s oral arguments underscored the human stakes in this case and the impact an adverse ruling would have on families across the country. Millions of Americans share a household with a person eligible for DAPA, and opponents of these policies are instead advocating for the deportation of their family members—parents of 5 million U.S. citizens and children who know no other home than the United States.
In addition to enjoying broad support with most Americans, DAPA and expanded DACA are constitutionally sound. We ultimately expect to prevail when the Court renders its decision later this spring. But these continued attacks on immigrants and their families must also stop, and we must return to the values representative of a nation of immigrants, moving beyond tolerance to acceptance. The vital role played by immigrants in our country is unquestioned and the damage done by anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric has reverberated through communities all over America.
We look forward to a Supreme Court ruling that unfreezes DAPA and expanded DACA and begins to unlock the extraordinary impact of the immigrant community in our country, from thousands of news jobs and billions in GDP growth to stronger, safer, more prosperous communities.