The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, known as Dreamers, who were brought to the United States as children under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. A decision in the case will decide whether the Biden administration can continue to maintain the protections afforded by DACA, including work permits and protection from deportation. The ruling could drastically change the lives of the Dreamers and might serve as a precedent for future immigration policies.
The introduction of the DACA program during the Obama administration created a highly debated legal and political issue. Those who support the Dreamers brought into the United States as minors, believe they should not be penalized based on their immigration status and deserve a pathway to permanent legal status. This would put them in the same category as any other immigrant in need of legalization. They have grown up in the United States, many now have careers and families with homes in the country. If DACA were to be removed, it would leave the affected Dreamers with a particularly large disruption in their lives.
But opponents of the program say that it was an overreach of executive authority, and that any immigration reform needs to come out of Congress, not out of the president. They said this program encourages illegal immigration, and it should be dismantled. That has led several states to sue the federal government over the program, setting up the current case presently deliberated by the Supreme Court on whether it is legal.
The Biden administration has also been constantly supportive of DACA and has tried to find a legislative solution that would protect the Dreamers. However, this has been weighed down by congressional gridlock. The upcoming Supreme Court decision will be a critical moment both for the administration and for the Dreamers themselves because it will either secure or jeopardize the future of the program.
If the court strikes down DACA, that would likely translate to mass deportations and work authorization taken away from Dreamers, most of whom are deeply integrated into American society and the workforce. The result might also bring about revitalized efforts toward comprehensive immigration reform, with hundreds of thousands looking for a resolution as the program comes to a close. Immigration advocates are preparing themselves for what could possibly come out of this case, and the wide-reaching impacts it will have.
The Supreme Court's ruling, expected in 2024, could directly affect Dreamers while going further and reconfiguring the national debate on immigration. This illustrates how, beneath the urgent need for legislative solutions for the long-term security of Dreamers, broader issues of immigration have gone astray in the U.S. The case presents an extremely complex balancing between executive authority, judicial review, and the dire need for immigration reform in a highly polarized political environment.
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