Minnesota, other states sue Trump administration over DACA decision
Hundreds march in downtown Minneapolis to protest President Donald Trump's decision to end the DACA program. Photo taken by Fox 9 photojournalist Seraj Sarim
(KMSP) - Minnesota has joined several other states in suing the Trump administration over the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas.
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court in California on Monday by attorneys general in Minnesota, California, Maine and Maryland. The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration violated the constitution, federal law and “the federal government’s promises to DACA recipients” by ending the program, according to news release from Attorney General Lori Swanson’s office.
Last Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the DACA program would be formally rescinded and no new applications would be accepted. The administration will continue to renew two-year work permits for the next six months, giving Congress time to find a legislative solution for the “Dreamers.”
Nearly 800,000 young immigrants have been able to avoid deportation and offered the opportunity to work legally in the U.S. through DACA, including about 6,300 people in Minnesota.
“Since DACA became law five years ago, 800,000 young people who have grown up as children in the United States have relied on the law to get an education, buy homes, start families, grow businesses, or join the military,” Swanson said in a statement. “The lawsuit alleges that the federal government’s rescission of DACA violates the promises made to these young people—97 percent of whom are in school or in the workforce—who have relied on the law to make important decisions about their lives.”
Fifteen other states and the District of Columbia filed a similar lawsuit against the Trump administration last week.