BROOKLYN,NY – Caribbean American Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke on Saturday denounced a United States federal judge’s ruling in Texas making unlawful a program that has protected hundreds of thousands of undocumented young Caribbean adults and others from deportation.
In Houston, Texas, Judge Andrew S. Hanen of the United States District Court ruled on Friday that former US President Barack Obama superseded his authority when he created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known by the acronym DACA by executive order in 2012.
In his ruling, Republican-leaning Judge Hanen blocked the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from approving any new DACA applications.
He, however, said his order would not impact current DACA recipients or their ability to renew their DACA applications.
“This disappointing attack on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program makes it clear we must remain committed to supporting undocumented children and providing a viable, humane pathway to citizenship in this country,” Clarke, who represents the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York.
“As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Immigration Taskforce, one of the six women known as the ‘Closers’ selected by Speaker (of the US House of Representatives, Nancy) Pelosi, to champion immigration reform and pathway to citizenship legislation in the House of Representatives, a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee and, most importantly, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, this ruling is deeply troubling,” she added.
“This ruling does not change the status for existing DACA reci
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