By Nick Gale, WLS-AM 890 News
(CHICAGO) — Attorney General Lisa Madigan has joined with 15 attorneys general to file a lawsuit to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grantees. Madigan and the coalition allege the federal government’s rescinding of the DACA program violates Due Process rights; violates the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution by discriminating against DREAMers of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA recipients; and harms the states’ residents, institutions, and economies.
The lawsuit was filed earlier today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against President Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Illinois has the third highest number of approved initial DACA applications, trailing only California and Texas. Since 2012, over 42,000 Illinoisans have been accepted to participate in the DACA program.
“To deport DREAMers to countries foreign to them is fundamentally unfair, hurts our state economy and violates the law,” Madigan said. “These are Americans in every way but their birthright. For centuries, our country has benefited from immigrants who came here and worked hard for a better life. Rescinding DACA is contrary to what makes our country prosper.”
Joining Madigan in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general from: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Copyright 2017, WLS-AM News
