WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), one of 49 senators to file an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, issued the following statement on the ruling from the Supreme Court that the Trump administration to end DACA was “arbitrary and capricious” and violated the law.

“For years, President Trump has put the lives of hardworking, innocent children in limbo as he attempted to punish them for the actions of their parents. These children, some who are now adults, mostly have known no other country than the United States of America. The Supreme Court rightly found that the Trump administration cannot simply erase programs with which they disagree. The DACA program was compassionate and fair.

“I urge the president and political operatives at the Department of Homeland Security and the White House to abandon their effort to end the DACA program. Dreamers have been contributing to our local communities for years. Let them find some measure of stability and a chance to fulfill their best potential here in the country they call home.

“Congress now has a responsibility to act and take permanent action to settle the status of Dreamers once and for all.  Senator McConnell has let a House-passed bill languish for a year in the Senate, the American Dream and Promise Act.  He should bring up this legislation immediately, which would give Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders a pathway to citizenship.  Senator McConnell should also bring up the House-passed HEROES Act, which includes provisions extending work authorizations for both DACA and TPS recipients.”

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