According to a report by The Citizen Nigeria, Fifteen states and the District of Columbia went to court Wednesday to block President Donald Trump’s plan to end a programme protecting young immigrants from deportation — an act former President Barack Obama called ‘cruel’.
Washington state’s attorney general, Bob Ferguson called it part of a “dark time for our country.”
The lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn asked a judge to conclude that the president’s action involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, is unconstitutional.
It called the move “a culmination of President Trump’s oft-stated commitments … to punish and disparage people with Mexican roots.”
The multistate lawsuit filed by a group of Democratic attorneys general on Wednesday to protect beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program argues their state economies will be hurt if residents lose their status.
The attorneys general also argue the government has not guaranteed DACA recipients that their application information will not be used “for purposes of immigration enforcement, including identifying, apprehending, detaining, or deporting non-citizens.”
“The consequence of the president’s animus-driven decision is that approximately 800,000 persons who have availed themselves of the program will ultimately lose its protections” and be exposed to deportation, the lawsuit says.
New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman took the lead filing the case in the Eastern District of New York. He said that 42,000 New Yorkers participate in DACA, and the end of the program will be “devastating” for them and would cause “huge economic harm” to the state.
In commenting on the suit, the U.S. Department of Justice noted that DACA was implemented under an executive order by former President Barack Obama, not through congressional action.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday the program will end in six months so Congress can have time to find a legislative solution for the people in the program, who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
California, one of the most solid Democratic states, was noticeably absent.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra plans to file a separate lawsuit because a quarter of DACA recipients are California residents, his spokeswoman Bethany Lesser said.
Becerra’s office has not said when the lawsuit will be filed or whether it will include different legal arguments.
Under the move by Trump, people already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire. If that happens before March 5, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5. But the program isn’t accepting new applications.
Opponents of the program said they are pleased with the Trump administration’s decision. They called DACA an unconstitutional abuse of executive power.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, both Democrats, called Trump’s action cruel and outrageous, given that the decision was announced by Sessions rather than the president himself.
According to a report by The Citizen Nigeria , Fifteen states and the District of Columbia went to court Wednesday to block President Do...
Justice B.O. Quadri of the Federal High Court siiting in Abuja on Tuesday granted the request seeking to serve court processes on Nnamdi Kanu and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) through substituted service, Nigerian Politics Online reports.
This was as the judge ordered that other respondents in the matter, namely: the Inspector-General of Police, the Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Attorney-General of the Federation be served personally.
The order came on the heels of an ex-parte application by Mr Richard Ndubuaku for an order of court for substituted service of all the processes of the court on the defendants by publishing them in two national newspapers.
Ndubuaku, who made the application through his counsel, Mr Smart Iheazor, also asked the court to make an order restraining the respondents, whether by themselves, members or agents from disrupting the forthcoming Anambra election.
He also asked the court to make an order restraining Kanu and all members of IPOB from interfering, intimidating and harassing all registered and eligible voters in the Nov. 18 Anambra election.
Ndubuaku further asked the court to prevent Kanu and IPOB from mobilising its members either by threat or undue influence to scuttle the election, pending the determination of the originating summons.
“From the antecedents of Kanu and the activities of IPOB, they are capable of carrying out their threat”, he said.
“Serving the processes of this suit on the them by publishing in two national newspapers will bring same to their knowledge as it will be dangerous and difficult to effect personal service on them.
“The applicant has several businesses and business interests and houses in Onitsha and Awka with over 100 staff that will be affected if the threats of Kanu and IPOB are carried out.”
The judge, however, only granted the order of substituted service on Kanu and IPOB, and refused all the other reliefs sought by the applicant and asked that all parties in the suit be put on notice.
He adjourned the matter to October 10 for hearing.
Justice B.O. Quadri of the Federal High Court siiting in Abuja on Tuesday granted the request seeking to serve court processes on Nnamdi Kan...
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