This morning, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals held that President Trump’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Program was arbitrary and capricious and in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. This decision came in a case brought by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee on behalf of ten immigrant civil rights organizations and 17 individuals.

The DACA program provided critical relief from deportation for refugees brought to the United States as children, mostly from Central America and the Caribbean. Many DACA participants have lived in the United States for most of their lives, have built lives here, and are valued members of our community. The increased racialization of immigration policy placed the DACA program in the cross hairs. The administration’s efforts to end DACA targeted young people of color. Our clients came forward to stand against this injustice.

The Washington Lawyers’ Committee is incredibly proud to have partnered with extraordinary clients, including CASA of Maryland, and to have been part of an amazing team of lawyers on the case. The litigation was led by John Freedman and Emily Dillingham at Arnold & Porter, Elizabeth Bower at Willkie Farr, Ajmel Quereshi at NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Dennis Corkery, Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee.

For more information, read our Press Release.