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SALT LAKE CITY — In a 4-4 deadlock, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday halted President Barack Obama’s programs intended to protect millions of unauthorized immigrants from deportation and permit them to work legally in the United States.
The tied vote means a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the case, United States v. Texas, stands, which had kept the programs from going into effect.
Utah Latino community activist Tony Yapias called the court’s ruling hurtful and disappointing, and said it would further galvanize Latino support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who supports the approach.
“We’re very, very disappointed for our families. We were hoping this would be favorable,” he said.
The initial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, created by Obama by executive order in 2012, has been particularly beneficial to young Latinos in Utah.
“It hurts. It hurts because DACA has done so many positive things for everyone." - Tony Yapias
“It hurts. It hurts because DACA has done so many positive things for everyone. The dreamers themselves, many of them have completed their degrees and are working in better paying jobs that pay more taxes. We always say we’re going to get you out of the shadows. We get them out of the shadows and we know how much it means because they can do so much more,” he said.
The Supreme Court ruling extends the injunction on an expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans initiative, which would have allowed millions of unauthorized immigrants who have U.S. citizen or permanent resident children to apply for deportation protection and work permits, too.
Yapias predicted the ruling would further erode support for Republican candidates, particularly presidential candidate Donald Trump, “who was already having difficulty with Latinos.”
Related
Obama immigration plan blocked by 4-4 tie at Supreme Court
The Supreme Court deadlocked Thursday on President Barack Obama's immigration plan that sought to shield millions living in the U.S. illegally from deportation, effectively killing the plan for the rest of his presidency.The tie vote leaves a sliver of hope, although Congress should address the issue in earnest, which it has been reluctant to do, he said.
Utah joined Texas and 24 other states in a lawsuit to block the initiatives shortly after they were announced. Neither the expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program or new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program took effect because of court rulings.
The states argued that Obama did not have the power to effectively change immigration law.
"Fundamentally, we don't think the president has the statutory or constitutional authority to issue these executive actions," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton when the states’ lawsuit was filed.
This story will be updates as more information becomes available.
