{"slug":"trump-children-in-cages-policy-graphic","title":"DACA Rescission: Ending Protections for 700,000 Dreamers","date":"2017-09-05","lastUpdated":"2020-06-18","description":"On September 5, 2017, Trump announced the rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — the Obama-era program protecting approximately 700,000 young people who had been brought to the United States as children from deportation. The rescission was announced after Sessions called DACA 'an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch.' The Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that the rescission was 'arbitrary and capricious' under the Administrative Procedure Act.","summary":"DACA recipients — called 'Dreamers' — are people who arrived in the United States as children, grew up here, attended American schools, and in many cases speak no other language. The rescission announcement gave recipients a six-month wind-down period and urged Congress to pass legislation. Congress failed to act; the Supreme Court blocked the rescission in June 2020, ruling the administration's process was procedurally defective. DACA remained in legal limbo through the remainder of the first term.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/us/politics/trump-daca-dreamers-immigration.html","title":"Trump Moves to End DACA and Calls on Congress to Act","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-587_5ifl.pdf","title":"Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California — Supreme Court Opinion","publisher":"Supreme Court of the United States"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/18/daca-supreme-court-ruling/","title":"Supreme Court rules against Trump's rescission of DACA","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-of-deferred-action-for-childhood-arrivals-daca","title":"DACA Program Information","publisher":"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["DACA","Dreamers","immigration","civil-rights","first-term","deportation"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2012-06-15","title":"Obama creates DACA","summary":"Obama announces DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — giving approximately 800,000 young people who arrived as children a two-year renewable deferral from deportation and work authorization."},{"date":"2017-09-05","title":"Sessions announces rescission","summary":"Sessions announces the rescission of DACA at a DOJ press conference, calling it an unconstitutional exercise of executive power. The announcement gives a six-month wind-down period and urges Congress to pass legislation."},{"date":"2018-01-09","title":"Trump rejects bipartisan deal","summary":"A bipartisan group of senators presents Trump with a deal to protect DACA recipients in exchange for border security measures; Trump rejects it after reportedly making disparaging comments about immigrants from 'shithole countries.'"},{"date":"2018-04-24","title":"Federal courts block rescission","summary":"Multiple federal district courts issue injunctions blocking the DACA rescission, allowing renewals to continue pending the legal process. The Trump administration seeks Supreme Court review."},{"date":"2020-06-18","title":"Supreme Court blocks rescission","summary":"The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in DHS v. Regents of the University of California that the rescission was 'arbitrary and capricious' under the APA — blocking it on procedural grounds but not ruling that DACA itself is constitutionally required."},{"date":"2020-07-28","title":"Administration resumes taking new DACA applications","summary":"Following the Supreme Court ruling, the administration is required to accept new DACA applications for the first time since 2017 — though it immediately attempts new regulatory processes to end the program."}],"location":{"name":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lng":-77.0369},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Convention on the Rights of the Child","article":"Article 3","provision":"Best interests of the child — deporting people who grew up in the United States and have no meaningful connection to their countries of birth is not in their best interests and violates the spirit of child protection norms"},{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 17","provision":"Protection against arbitrary interference with family — separating DACA recipients from their U.S.-based families and communities is arbitrary interference"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Approximately 700,000 DACA recipients facing deportation to countries they may not remember; their U.S.-citizen children, spouses, and family members; communities and employers who depended on their presence","structuredVictims":[{"group":"DACA recipients facing rescission","status":"Approximately 700,000 people protected under DACA; rescission enjoined by Supreme Court but legal status remains precarious","count":700000}],"structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of the United States","institution":"White House"},{"name":"Jeff Sessions","role":"Attorney General; announced rescission","institution":"Department of Justice"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2020-06-18","summary":"Updated with Supreme Court ruling blocking rescission."}]}}