Local Dreamer reacts to decision blocking DACA end
A federal judge on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court.
Alsup said lawyers in favor of DACA clearly demonstrated that the young immigrants “were likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm” without court action. The judge also said the lawyers have a strong chance of succeeding at trial.
DACA has protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas. The program includes hundreds of thousands of college-age students.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 reached out to some local dreamers about their reaction about this decision.
Jefry Darian, a Coachella Valley Dreamer, was only 8-years-old when he arrived to the United States from Honduras. Darian said he was relieved to hear Tuesday’s news.
“It feels a bit relieving because it gives time.Time for the government to accomplish something definitive for us because it is hard to go on everyday without not knowing what is going to happen, or what we are going to do specifically because we all have a dream and we are fighting for our dream. It doesn’t seem right to not know if we are going to fulfill our dream or not,” said Darian.
Darian is one of many Dreamers that would like to settle in this country.
“Basically my whole life is here, my family, my friends and my job. I’m going to start school again and my future is based in this country. I would like to return to Honduras and to learn about my culture again, but my focus is to be in the United Sates and make a life here.”
Luz Gallegos, the community programs director of TODEC advises Dreamers to stay up to date with immigration laws and that the center will offer assistance to Dreamers in need.
“My message right now is to take caution and don’t fall victim to fraud. Stay with TODEC because we are going to start giving instructions and we will be helping them for free to fill out applications. Also, if they do not have the resource to pay for immigration, we will be helping them with their money order or immigration check,” said Gallegos.
President Trump said that any deal to protect Dreamers needs to come with plans to build wall.
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice said the judge’s decision doesn’t change the fact that the program was an illegal circumvention of Congress, and it is within the agency’s power to end it.
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
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