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Today, the US Supreme Court passes another landmark ruling within the span of a week (earlier they ruled that LGBTQ+ people are protected from workplace discrimination based on sex). On Thursday, June 8, the US Supreme Court announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program cannot be ended. This ruling allows for nearly 800,000 participating young people, also known as Dreamers, to remain in the US without the fear of deportation (per the following of DACA rules). In the past, Latinx celebrities have been very vocal about the effect that repealing something like DACA could have on the Latinx community — one of the most vocal stars being Orange Is The New Black actress Diane Guerrero . In an op-ed she wrote for Glamour Magazine in 2017, she expressed how the thought of DACA being repealed created an “empty feeling” within her.
© GettyImagesThe White House, who had petitioned for an end of to the DACA program, was said to not have provided enough documentation or proper reasoning for the termination of the program thus affecting the vote of the highest court in the land. Lawyers fighting to defend the DACA program argued late last fall that many of the recipients of the program worked as front line healthcare workers and that the elimination of those positions due to deportation would greatly tax the medical system. When the announcement to repeal DACA was first made by the White House, many Dreamers felt a huge sense of betrayal, something Diane had also echoed. “Until Congress passes the DREAM Act to protect DACA beneficiaries from deportation, no words of consolation can replace the betrayal they feel,” she stated.
© GettyImagesDefenders of the program also stated that the absence of DACA employees would also affect the economy and all the businesses that employed them both small and large (like Apple). Reports show that over 90 percent of program participants have a job, are in school and do not speak the language of their origin country. Upon the announcement from the US Supreme Court, other stars like Becky Gand John Leguizamo have tweeted out their support and pride over the ruling.
The Dollar singer tweeted, “Literally have tears in my eyes after seeing that the Supreme Court ruled against the trump administration & in favor of the DACA program. In the last days we’ve recieved [sic] news for our LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈 protection rights and now protection for our DREAMERS! 💜🙏🏽.”
Others like former President Barack Obama and respected journalist Maria Hinojosa also tweeted about the landmark ruling as well. President Obama shared, “Eight years ago this week, we protected young people who were raised as part of our American family from deportation. Today, I‘m happy for them, their families, and all of us. We may look different and come from everywhere, but what makes us American are our shared ideals.”
