Locals respond to Supreme Court’s refusal to hear appeal of DACA ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court told the Trump administration Monday they needed to wait in line like everyone else for them to hear the appeal for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Before heading to the highest court in the land, an appeals court will first need to hear the case. Once an appeals court rules on the case, an appeal of their decision will take it to the Supreme Court. The Trump administration attempted to skip the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California and go straight to the high court, but the Supreme Court turned down the request, opting to let the case go through the proper channels.

“Waking up this morning and seeing everywhere about a DACA announcement, my first instinct was something happened and it’s bad,” says DACA recipient Abril Gallardo. “As I was reading, I found out it was great news specifically, for those individuals who can renew their DACA like myself. It gives me a little bit of hope, and it tells me what we’re doing, what immigrant youth around the country is doing is working.”

While it is good news for those who are already DACA recipients, the program is still not allowed to accept new applicants, leaving those eligible for the program in a difficult situation. The current status of DACA also makes it difficult for its recipients to travel outside of the U.S. due to a high possibility of them not being able to come back into the country.

“We’re telling [those who qualify for DACA but don’t have it] that they need to evaluate other options available,” says Seth Draper of the Salvatierra Law Group.

Draper says the most common questions he hears are “Can I really renew?” and “Is there anything else anyone can do for me?” These individuals are searching for permanent solutions.

“For so many years, immigrant youth has been facing anti-immigration laws that I think we will continue to organize and vocalize our communities to protect each other,” Gallardo says. “I will continue to fight for my family, myself for permanent protection.”

Draper says the public can expect to see the Supreme Court hear this case, if that’s what the appeals court decides to do, in October.