Fifteen states and the District of Columbia sued Wednesday to try to revive DACA, the 2012 deportation amnesty for young adult illegal immigrants, saying President Trump’s decision to phase out the program amounted to illegal discrimination against Mexicans.
In addition to New York and the District of Columbia, the challengers were Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
A Justice Department spokesman said Wednesday that in fighting to preserve DACA, the states are defending a distortion of the Constitution’s system of government.
“As the attorney general said yesterday: ‘No greater good can be done for the overall health and well-being of our republic than preserving and strengthening the impartial rule of law.’ While the plaintiffs in today’s lawsuits may believe that an arbitrary circumvention of Congress is lawful, the Department of Justice looks forward to defending this administration’s position,” said spokesman Devin O’Malley.
The Democrats’ lawsuit will face a number of hurdles. It will have to show that the states have standing to sue and make a case that the administration’s actions have crossed legal lines.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/sep/6/states-sue-trump-restore-daca/
