By JACL National Staff
JACL is disappointed to learn that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the United States Department of Justice’s request for an emergency stay that would have allowed implementation of the president’s executive actions on immigration.
Lawsuits filed by Texas and 26 other states resulted in an injunction on the executive order.
An emergency stay would have allowed President Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and an expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to move forward.
DAPA provided limited protection from deportation for parents of American-born children, and DACA provided work permits and protection from deportation to undocumented children who arrived in the U.S. before age 16.
The May 26 decision impacts nearly 5 million eligible immigrants, including half a million Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
“JACL and other AAPI organizations have rallied for common-sense solutions to an immigration system that maintains long-term barriers to citizenship,” said JACL Executive Director Priscilla Ouchida. “The system contributes to the creation of a noncriminal population that works and pays taxes but are identified as illegal because they are not given a legal means to obtain citizenship.”
The Obama administration’s appeal of the Texas decision is still pending, and the Fifth Circuit Court has scheduled oral arguments on the administration’s appeal on July 10.
