AG Madigan Joins 15 Other Attorneys General Filing Suit Against End of DACA

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Published on September 6 2017 3:48 pm
Last Updated on September 6 2017 3:48 pm

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has joined with 15 attorneys general to file a lawsuit to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grantees. Madigan and the coalition allege the federal government’s rescinding of the DACA program violates Due Process rights; violates the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution by discriminating against DREAMers of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA recipients; and harms the states’ residents, institutions, and economies.
 
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against President Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
 
Since DACA’s inception five years ago, nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children have been granted DACA status after paying application fees, submitting to and passing background checks and applying for work permits.
 
Illinois has the third highest number of approved initial DACA applications, trailing only California and Texas.