Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and 15 other Attorneys General today filed a federal lawsuit in New York challenging the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would rescind the DACA program in 6-months to give Congress time to ‘fix’ the program.

In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, the Attorneys General argue that Trump administration has violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution by discriminating against DREAMers of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA recipients; violated Due Process rights; and harmed States’ residents, institutions, and economies.

“The President is playing chicken by giving Congress 6-months to either create a ‘better’ DACA program, or cancel it. The DACA program was originally created because of congressional inaction, and we have little faith Congress will step up and ‘fix’ it this time. Meanwhile, there are thousands of Oregonians who have lived nearly their entire lives in our state. These outstanding young people pay taxes, go to our community colleges and universities, start businesses and contribute in more ways than we can count. To suggest that these Oregonians who have grown up here should be taken from their families and deported to a foreign country where they have no family, friends and may not even speak the language is cruel and indefensible,” said Attorney General Rosenblum.

Specifically, Oregon is home to more than 11,000 DACA recipients. These young people have come forward, passed background checks and are living, working and going to school lawfully in Oregon. DACA recipients work in Oregon, pay taxes, are eligible for employer-based health insurance, and contribute to economic well-being of the state. The complaint filed today also claims that rescinding DACA will harm Oregon colleges and universities ability to meet their educational missions and prepare Oregonians for the workforce.

The Attorneys General involved in the lawsuit include Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, Virginia, Vermont, and District of Columbia.

Contact:

Kristina Edmunson, Department of Justice, Kristina.Edmunson@doj.state.or.us, 503-378-6002