Deferred Dreams: Legal Tussles Over DACA's Future

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy faces another legal challenge as appellate judges hear arguments in New Orleans. The case's outcome could affect approximately 535,000 individuals, known as 'Dreamers,' who live in the U.S. without citizenship or legal residency status. A decision may escalate to the Supreme Court.

Outside the federal courthouse in New Orleans, young immigrants who arrived in America illegally as children are demonstrating as appellate judges assess the Biden administration's DACA policy, which shields them from deportation.

The showdown at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals impacts around 535,000 individuals, leading established lives in the United States but lacking citizenship or legal resident status, making them vulnerable to deportation. Greisa Martinez Rosas, a DACA beneficiary and a prominent activist, vows to rally alongside hundreds of supporters, emphasizing the necessity of progress for inclusivity.

Initially initiated by President Obama in 2012 due to congressional stagnation on legal residency pathways, DACA has endured prolonged legal friction. Although President Biden revitalized the initiative, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen recently highlighted a perceived executive overreach, halting new applications while the appeals process sustains support for current recipients. Defenders stress the Department of Homeland Security's jurisdiction over immigration policy, countering litigation claims led by predominantly Republican states, citing unproven financial burdens from sustaining DACA recipients.

(With inputs from agencies.)