On July 16, 2021, Judge Hanen ruled that DACA is unlawful in the ongoing litigation in the Southern District of Texas. President Biden responded immediately over the weekend.
For a good synopsis of the actual decision, here's an article from Peter Marguiles of Roger Williams University School of Law.
Over the past week, Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel has joined with other Disciples leaders and presented numerous offerings in English and Spanish to help educate Disciples about this decision, what is means, and what needs to happen next.
On Tuesday, July 20 (4 days after the decision), Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel joined Rev. Lori Tapia of Obra Hispana and Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea of Disciples Refugee and Immigration Ministries and presented a rapid response session at 1 pm ET for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) at large:
On Wednesday, July 21, Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel hosted a DACA "LIST" (Legal Information Session Together) in English for an in-depth discussion of the decision and legal updates for DACA recipients and their families:
On Thursday, July 22, Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel hosted a DACA "TALI" (Taller de Asesoramiento Legal de Inmigracion) en espanol for an in-depth discussion of the decision and legal updates for DACA recipients and their families:
On Friday, July 23, Disciples Immigration Legal Counsel joined Rev. Lori Tapia on Contigo to have a Facebook Live chat about the decision and what it means:
Finally, the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration offered a comprehensive webinar on July 21 that is available along with various public resources too, after a coalition of 500 university and college presidents and chancellors released a statement urging Congress to act to protect DACA.
Moving forward, please follow along on Facebook and Twitter as further developments become available. In the meantime, here are some helpful links and resources to consider:
United We Dream's Guidance and FAQ's for DACA Recipients
Fact Sheet from Penn State Law's Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic and the President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration: "DACA in the Courts"
Additional Penn State Law DACA Resources
For Immigrant and Advocate Resources, please visit the new ReadyToStay.org site.
If you are concerned about DACA recipients and want to get involved with Disciples advocacy efforts, please follow and reach out to Rev. Dr. Sharon Stanley-Rea of Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries for multiple opportunities to get involved! You might also consider following the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's responses as well. Thank you so much!