WASHINGTON, D.C., June 18, 2020—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 today that the Trump administration did not properly rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has allowed nearly 700,000 young people, known as “Dreamers,” to avoid deportation and remain in the U.S.
In the ruling on the case, Department of Homeland Security et al. v. Regents of the University of California et al., Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to rescind DACA in the fall of 2017 was “arbitrary and capricious” and did not properly follow the Administrative Procedures Act. While the ERLC did not file an amicus brief in this case, Southern Baptists have long advocated for immigration reforms, particularly to protect this special category of young men and women from unjust deportation.
Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, responded to the ruling below:
“Dreamers are not an abstraction. They are people created in the image of God, who were brought here as children by their parents. Their entire lives are at stake right now. This Supreme Court decision might address an immediate question of administrative law, but it does not, ultimately, protect our vulnerable neighbors. There is no sending these people ‘back’—in many cases they have no memory at all of the land of their parents’ origin. Those who have lived as good neighbors and contributed so greatly to our country should be protected from the constant threat of having their lives upended. That will take action by the United States Congress. Most Americans agree on this question, which is quite a feat in times as divided as these. Congress should move immediately to protect our Dreamer neighbors.”
For more information on the ERLC’s advocacy on this issue, see the Evangelical Statement of Principles on Dreamers released in October 2017 with over 50 original signatories.
