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NY AG Schneiderman Leads 16 States in Suit Over DACA

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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman led a coalition of 16 Attorneys General in filing a suit to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grantees.

On Wednesday, September 6, New York joined in a federal lawsuit with 14 other states and the District of Columbia, which will attempt to halt the President’s plan to disintegrate a program that protects young immigrants from being deported.

The suit was filed in Brooklyn federal court by a coalition of 16 Attorneys General led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grantees. The lawsuit details how the Trump administration has violated the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution by discriminating against DREAMers of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA recipients; violated Due Process rights; and harmed States’ residents, institutions, and economies.

In a statement, Schneiderman said, “Immigration is the lifeblood of New York State. The Trump administration’s decision to end DACA is cruel, inhumane, and devastating to the 42,000 New Yorkers who have been able to come out of the shadows and live a full life as a result of the program. These DREAMers play by the rules. They work hard and pay taxes. America is the only home they have ever known – and they deserve to stay here and keep contributing to our state and our nation.”

He concluded, “That’s why we’re taking the Trump administration to court to protect DREAMers and the New York employers who rely on them. It’s clear that President Trump’s DACA repeal would cause huge economic harm to New York – and that it’s driven by President Trump’s personal anti-Mexican bias. Attorneys General have not hesitated to act to protect those we serve, and I’m committed to continuing to use every tool to protect New Yorkers.”

The lawsuit was led by New York Attorney General Schneiderman, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, and filed by a total of 16 Attorneys General: New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

New York is home to nearly 42,000 DACA grantees. There are approximately 800,000 DACA recipients across the country. According to the Center for American Progress, 97 percent of DACA grantees are employed or go to school; they pay $140 million annually in state and local taxes in New York, as the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy has detailed.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “This cruel move to rescind DACA feeds the beast of bigotry and undermines the values that built this state and this nation. Ending this policy will upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people who have only ever called America their home. This action is antithetical to everything we believe as New Yorkers and we cannot sit on the sidelines and watch the lives of these young people ruined. As we made clear before this decision, New York will sue to protect the ‘dreamers’ and the state’s sovereign interest in the fair and equal application of the law” 

The lawsuit also includes a number of declarations from businesses, academic institutions, local governments, DACA grantees, and others impacted by the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA.

By Sam Stein

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