Press Release
AALDEF joins 220+ groups asking Supreme Court to protect Obama’s immigration actions
Brief Filed Urging High Court to Hear Landmark Immigration Case on Expanded DACA and DAPA
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) joined a coalition of 223 civil rights, labor, immigrants’ rights, and social service groups in an amicus brief filed today, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review Texas vs. U.S. This filing comes less than a month after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court in Texas that blocked implementation of protections for millions of immigrants in the United States under an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and a new initiative that would have allowed certain parents of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents to apply for deportation relief and work authorization (DAPA).
Margaret Fung, executive director of AALDEF, said: “We call on the Supreme Court to uphold the president’s immigration actions that would provide relief from deportation to many of the 1.5 million undocumented Asian immigrants in this country. AALDEF continues to offer legal assistance to Asian immigrant youth who may be eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). We also plan to represent individuals who would qualify for the new deferred action initiative for parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents and an expansion of DACA, once these programs are allowed to take effect.”
The brief features profiles of primary breadwinners, small business owners, and social change activists, who would be able to more fully contribute to this country’s social and economic future if granted expanded DACA and DAPA. Among those profiled are Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and AALDEF 2013 Justice in Action Award recipient Jose Antonio Vargas, who arrived in the U.S. at the age of 12 from the Philippines.
Download the amicus brief here.
For more information, contact:
Annie J. Wang, Staff Attorney
212.966.5932 x213
awang@aaldef.org
Stan Mark, Senior Staff Attorney
212.966.5932 x204
smark@aaldef.org