Attorney General Becerra Secures Nationwide Injunction in DACA Lawsuit to Protect Dreamers

In a victory for Dreamers, court blocks implementation of Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA until a final decision is reached in the litigation

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra – joined by the Attorneys General for Maine, Maryland and Minnesota, as well as the University of California, individual Dreamers and other plaintiffs – obtained a preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration over its decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). The ruling in the District Court for the Northern District of California blocks the Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA while the underlying case continues. The Court determined that the merits of California’s case are strong, that there would be immediate harm if the Administration’s plan to terminate DACA were to proceed, and that the public interest is served by prohibiting the Administration from ending DACA before the legal issues are ruled on.

“Dreamers’ lives were thrown into chaos when the Trump Administration tried to terminate the DACA program without obeying the law,” said Attorney General Becerra. “Tonight’s ruling is a huge step in the right direction. America is and has been home to Dreamers who courageously came forward, applied for DACA and did everything the federal government asked of them. They followed DACA’s rules, they succeeded in school, at work and in business, and they have contributed in building a better America. We will fight at every turn for their rights and opportunities so they may continue to contribute to America.”

In November 2017, Attorney General Becerra filed a motion seeking this preliminary injunction against the Trump Administration over its decision to end DACA. In that motion, Attorney General Becerra set forth the federal government’s violations of the United States Constitution and federal laws designed to ensure that our government treats everyone fairly and transparently.  California and the other plaintiffs in this action have continued to emphasize that terminating the program is causing irreparable harm to DACA recipients as well as to the States and communities in which they live.

In July 2017, Attorney General Becerra led 20 attorneys general in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to maintain and defend DACA. In the letter, the attorneys general explained how DACA has benefited their states and the nation as a whole and called on Trump to fulfill his public commitment to Dreamers, whom he called “incredible kids” who should be treated “with heart.” Roughly a quarter of all DACA grantees, more than 200,000 young people, live in California.  All 20 of the signatories to this letter have since joined lawsuits challenging the Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA.