SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together) is profoundly
disappointed that today's Supreme Court 4-4 split in U.S. v.
Texas failed to reach a decision on the Deferred Action for Parental
Accountability (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
(DACA) programs, part of the President's executive action on immigration issued
in November 2014. The original DACA program announced in 2012 remains, and the
Supreme Court ruling upheld a lower court ruling blocking the DAPA and expanded
DACA programs. The prolonged and unnecessary legal challenge to these
common-sense immigration programs comes at the expense of millions of immigrant
youth and their families. As a result of today's ruling, millions of immigrants,
including 450,000 undocumented Indian Americans alone, cannot contribute to the
economy and pursue their dreams. The only real solution is legislative change
through Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Today, over four years since the implementation of the
original DACA program, more than 728,000 out of an estimated
1.16 million eligible people have received DACA, allowing them to pursue
higher education and employment without constant fear of deportation.
Nearly 225,000 Indian and Pakistani individuals are eligible
for DACA and DAPA. India
ranks among the top ten origin countries with individuals eligible for DACA,
and ranks third among individuals eligible for DAPA. At least 23,000 Indian and
Pakistani youth are eligible for DACA and expanded DACA.
At least 200,000 Indian and Pakistani individuals are
eligible for DAPA. In April, SAALT stood with allies across the country at the
Supreme Court during the oral arguments on this case to express our hopes for a
ruling that would support the dreams of millions of immigrant families
nationwide. That same day we released a video series featuring South
Asians impacted by our broken immigration system illustrating just how much our
community has at stake in ensuring DAPA and expanded DACA move forward.
"Executive action on the part of the President was
necessary to move past a gridlocked Congress that refused to pass common-sense
immigration reform legislation. Without this, millions of immigrants will not
be eligible for the full benefits they deserve, like healthcare. Congress needs
to do its job. Polls continue to show that a bipartisan majority of
Americans support a roadmap to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Today's
ruling is a catalyst for the next Congress to act and ensure that all
immigrants have a path to the full benefits of citizenship and allow us to live
up to our core values of fairness and opportunity," said Suman
Raghunathan, SAALT's executive director.
In the meantime, we encourage individuals to continue
applying for the existing DACA program, which was never under legal scrutiny,
and should be fully utilized by those eligible. There are several actions the
President can still take to provide relief for immigrants. Black Alliance
for Just Immigration named five, including ending collaboration programs
between ICE and local law enforcement. The case will return to the lower courts
and we join our friends at National
Immigration Law
Center in urging
the Department of Justice to seek a rehearing at the Supreme Court.
