BPC's Theresa Brown: DACA Fight Must Be Settled in Congress, Not Courts

Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, on today’s Supreme Court arguments on the Trump administration’s efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program:

“However the Supreme Court ultimately rules in the DACA case being heard today, Congress should act as though the clock is ticking on DACA’s expiration. The best outcome DACA recipients can hope for in this case is a temporary extension of the program while the Trump administration tries again to legally wind it down. The biggest question is whether DACA recipients will face immediate loss of status, or spend months longer in uncertainty. But Congress and the White House have the power to avoid that outcome.

“That’s why the real fight for the future of DACA and for all DREAMers lies with Congress and the White House, not in the courts. Congress—and those who support permanent status for DACA recipients and the rest of the DREAMers—need not wait on the Supreme Court’s decision to act. BPC’s public polling, along with that of many other organizations, shows broad bipartisan public support for an agreement that provides permanent legal status for DREAMers along with increased border security funding. It’s time for Congress and the president to get to work on the solution the American people support.”