RELEASE – Supreme Court case argued Monday impacts thousands of Nebraska families

***For Immediate Release***

April 18, 2016

 

Contact, Jeff Sheldon
Communications Director, Nebraska Appleseed
(402) 438-8853 (office)
(402) 840-7289 (cell)
jsheldon@neappleseed.org

 

Supreme Court hears Arguments in Administrative Relief Case

U.S. v. Texas decision will impact safety, unity of thousands of Nebraska families

 

LINCOLN – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in United States v. Texas, a case to examine the President’s temporary administrative relief programs to keep families together, called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (expanded DACA).

The Court’s decision, which is expected to be released by June 30th, will impact the safety and unity of thousands of Nebraska families, as well as Nebraska’s economy.

“Across the country, millions of American families have demonstrated their support for the President’s administrative relief programs, which provide vital protections to thousands of Nebraska families and immigrant Nebraskans with strong ties to our state and our country,” said Darcy Tromanhauser, Nebraska Appleseed Immigrants & Communities Program Director. “We hope the Supreme Court’s eventual decision recognizes the strong legal precedent on which these critical programs rest.”

Nebraska Appleseed recently signed onto an amicus brief filed by a diverse coalition of 326 immigrant, civil rights, and social service groups, which urged the Supreme Court to allow the programs to move forward.

The administrative relief programs at issue in the case are based on a strong legal precedent. Every U.S. President since Dwight Eisenhower has taken executive action on immigration, for a total of 39 times. One such action, the “Family Fairness” policy by President George H.W. Bush, allowed nearly 1.5 million people to apply for deferred action, which at the time, represented half of the undocumented immigrant population in the U.S.

Legal experts also agree the President has the authority to administer the programs at issue in this case. In 2012, a group of 90 immigration law professors sent a letter to the President confirming he had legal authority to implement such administrative relief programs.

“Administrative relief granted by the President is a wise, reasonable action with clear precedent that could put an immediate stop to the destruction of thousands of American families every day,” Tromanhauser said. “However, it does not replace the need for Congress to pass more lasting and updated immigration policies that keep families united, create stability for communities, and provide a clear roadmap to citizenship.”

Those eligible for expanded DACA and DAPA are members of American families who may have children or spouses who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. To be eligible they must not have committed a crime and many have deep ties to this country. But under the outdated U.S. immigration system there is no process to sign up for citizenship and no way to fix their situation.

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