The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to end protection for “dreamers,” a group of 700,000 young people not born there who arrived without papers with their parents as children.
The high court supported the views of lower courts and considered that it would be “capricious” and “arbitrary” to end the program adopted by Democratic President Barack Obama in 2012 to protect these young people from deportations and work permits, mainly from Latin America and many of whom do not remember their country of origin.
Less than five months after the election, Trump called the decision on Twitter “horrible” and “politically charged.”
The DACA decision, while a highly political one, and seemingly not based on the law, gives the President of the United States far more power than EVER anticipated. Nevertheless, I will only act in the best interests of the United States of America!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2020
“Doesn’t the Supreme Court feel like me?” the representative inquired after the high court issued an opinion on the rights of gay and transgender workers that upset Trump.
Read: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man: The Memories of Donald Trump’s Niece
For their part, many “dreamers” said they were feeling “relief” from the decision, as they were already preparing for “the worst” after years of uncertainty since Trump announced that he would end the show.
“I was preparing for the worst,” Jesus Contreras, a paramedic who lives in Houston and who was in limbo since Trump decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2017, told AFP agency.
“We still have to fight for legislation, but I have a good feeling that we are protected and safe, at least for now,” Contreras added.
“I can breathe again”
This program allows young people to work, study and drive, so if they did not exist they would be doomed to live without papers.
For Geraldine Chinga, a 29-year-old girl who arrived from Peru as a child, to receive this decision was like making a weight from her from breathing.
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“This was the best news this year. It’s such a relief, (…) I can breathe again,” he added.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, a group of youngsters wearing masks gathered on the Steps of the Supreme Court in Washington with a banner that read “We’re here to stay.”
This is one of the most anticipated Supreme Court decisions of the season and, because conservative judges are a majority, there was anticipation about the decision.
Finally, Judge John Roberts added his voice to that of the four progressive judges to support the permanence of the program.
“We are not deciding whether DACA or its termination are sound policies. We refer only to whether the agency met procedural requirements that gave it a reasoned explanation for its action,” Robert wrote in the minutes.
Former President Barack Obama welcomed the decision on Twitter, noting that eight years ago he pushed for this plan to “protect from deportation people who were raised as part of the American family.”
“Today I am happy for them, for their families and for all of us,” he added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted that this decision extends the life of a poll that is supported by three-quarters of the population, both Democrats and Republicans, according to a poll.
“This is the American way of doing things and I’m very proud of it,” the Democratic lawmaker said.
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