The University of California applauds today’s decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that keeps in place the injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The court’s decision ensures that the 800,000 beneficiaries of DACA will be able to retain or renew their grants and continue to legally work, study, serve in the military, and live in the United States. The university encourages all eligible recipients to renew their DACA grants immediately.
Today’s decision is yet another strong message from our nation’s courts that the government’s attempt to rescind DACA was unlawful. The government’s only justification for rescinding DACA — that the program itself is legally flawed — is unfounded. Now that the appellate court has definitively rejected this argument, the university calls on the administration to stop its efforts to rescind the program.
Under the leadership of the UC Board of Regents and UC President Janet Napolitano, and with the pro bono assistance of counsel at Covington & Burling, UC is proud to have taken the lead as the first university to file a lawsuit challenging the government’s arbitrary attempt to end DACA. Multiple court rulings thus far have confirmed that DACA is a lawful program — one with enormous benefits for its beneficiaries, the university and American society. While today’s ruling is welcome news, we stress that DACA recipients deserve better than to see their life prospects rise and fall based on events in litigation. The university continues to call on Congress to enact permanent protections for the Dreamers, including a path to citizenship.