The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument on April 18th in U.S. v Texas. Stand in solidarity with the millions of immigrant families who need the court to unfreeze immigration programs. Join the Twitter discussion and join the rally outside the Supreme Court on oral argument day. Click the image.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) has joined a coalition of more than 300 civil rights, immigration, labor, and social service groups in an amicus brief in U.S. v. Texas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow President Obama’s executive actions on immigration to move forward.
The filing of the amicus brief comes four months after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction put in place by a Texas federal district court that blocked implementation of protections for millions of immigrants and their families across the country.
The immigration programs at issue in the case, which were announced by President Obama in November 2014, expanded eligibility for the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and protections for parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents through a program known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). The programs would allow people who have been in the United States since they were children, and the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, to apply for temporary deferral of deportation and work authorization if they meet certain requirements.
The brief argues that the Fifth Circuit’s sweeping injunction is “preventing millions of people with close ties to the United States from applying for an opportunity to receive a temporary, revocable reprieve from deportation and for work authorization.”
If the injunction is lifted, many families will be more secure, without the looming threat that loved ones will be deported at a moment’s notice. Many deserving individuals will also have access to better jobs and the ability to improve their lives, the lives of their families, and their communities.
Specifically, the brief is asking the Supreme Court to lift the Fifth Circuit’s block of these crucial programs that would help millions of immigrants and their families as the case proceeds. Oral argument in the case before the Supreme Court has been set for April 18.
Together, the programs would allow millions of undocumented people to remain in the United States without fear of deportation and apply for work permits for a period of three years, with the possibility of renewal.
Download and read the brief.
