Washington D.C. – The Supreme Court of the United States dealt a blow to the delay strategy by Texas against the President’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program today. After seeking a 30 day extension–which would have ensured that the DAPA case would not be heard until June of 2017–the Supreme Court underscored that a resolution sooner is better than a resolution later.
So what does this mean for the 5 million undocumented immigrants waiting in the wings to become part of our American fabric? The news is a great development and one big step forward, but they will have to wait until one more major hurdle is overcome: the SCOTUS still needs to agree to hear the case. This is very likely to happen soon with a final decision delivered in June of 2016. As the court moves in this direction, there will be a continuation and build up of a massive movement across the country to underscore the importance of this case.
When the decision is delivered next Spring, community organizations are preparing for the massive number of applicants who will sign up as DAPA/DACA+ beneficiaries. It will be up to the next President to decide whether to keep the DAPA, DACA+ and the original DACA programs and build upon their success, or end the programs leaving millions in limbo. For now, we will wait patiently for the final decision from the Supreme Court.