WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments against on President Trump’s 2017 decision to end deportation protections for nearly 800,000 young immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senator Jack Reed is urging the justices to keep DACA alive and calling for Congress to act on comprehensive immigration reform.

“The Supreme Court should uphold the law and recognize that the Trump Administration did not follow the letter of the law when it abruptly and improperly rescinded DACA.  I also urge the justices to do what President Trump failed to, and that is to show some compassion for bright, hardworking kids who are making positive contributions to our communities.  President Trump abruptly ended DACA because he thought it would please his hard-right supporters, but the fact is this policy would hurt our economy, split up families, and send children who’ve been living and studying here away to countries they have never known,” said Senator Reed.  “A president has a good deal of discretion when it comes to immigration, but the law still requires the government to follow proper procedures and the Trump Administration failed to do so.  President Trump failed to consider the cost of this decision, and ending DACA could cost our economy billions of dollars annually.  And if the Trump Administration starts initiating deportation proceedings against hundreds of thousands of young people who were raised and educated here, it would cost taxpayers billions and harm businesses nationwide.”

Senator Reed is urging Congress to stand up for those who were harmed by President Trump’s misguided decision to hastily end DACA and pass the bipartisan DREAM Act.  This legislation would allow those who were brought to America as children and now are making meaningful contributions to our communities, to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship.

“As I’ve long said, we need comprehensive and realistic immigration reform legislation.  We should do what is in America’s best interest and work toward immigration policies that strengthen our nation and help our economy grow.  Taking a common-sense approach to the Dreamers and allowing them to remain in their American homes and fully participate in our communities is both the right thing and the smart thing to do,” said Reed.

Senator Reed, a longtime cosponsor of the DREAM Act, was one of 55 U.S. Senators to vote for this legislation in 2010, which would have allowed eligible students to apply for legal status if they were brought to the U.S. before their 16th birthday, lived continuously in the U.S. for five years, graduated from high school, passed a background check, and completed at least two years of college or military service in good standing.  Republicans filibustered the bill and have prevented its passage throughout their majority.  In this Congress, he is a cosponsor of the Protect Dreamer Confidentiality Act of 2019 (S. 197), a bill to safeguard the private information—such as addresses and telephone numbers—of young immigrants brought here by their parents as infants or children, to ensure that they are not targeted by the Trump Administration for deportation.