· Border Crossing Law Firm · By Shahid Haque · From the Border Crossing Law Firm media archive.
Border Crossing Law Firm explains the Supreme Court's 2020 decision that the Trump administration ended DACA in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The post anticipated that first-time applications would reopen after the remaining legal steps and invited potentially eligible young people to prepare.
At the time, the ruling offered new hope to people who had been barred from applying since 2017 and greater security to existing recipients. The post also captures how quickly the firm translated a national court decision into practical guidance for Montana families.
DACA should be back for new applicants again soon! Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held that President Trump’s administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it ended DACA — one of the first things the President did to fulfill campaign promises. Since then, we have only been able to renew applications for those who had DACA already. Once the legal issues are sorted out from this decision, we should expect a chance to submit new applications at some point in the coming weeks or months. This is a major victory to be celebrated!
If you think you may be eligible, please contact us right away !
We spoke to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle about the local implications of DACA:
There were 70 DACA recipients in Montana as of the end of 2019, according to data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Thursday’s decision was a pleasant surprise to Shahid Haque, a Helena-based immigration attorney with Border Crossing Law Firm who has several clients in the Gallatin Valley.
“Unless Trump and the administration writes new reasons to get rid of DACA and change reasoning for that, the policy should be here to stay,” Haque said.
Immigrants who entered the country illegally as children could apply for a two-year protection under the program.
Since 2017, no new DACA applications were allowed. Recipients of the protections were still allowed to renew, but Haque said many of his clients couldn’t establish long-term plans in fears of deportation as they were unsure of potential law changes. Many, he said, were ordered to be deported and the Supreme Court’s ruling could alter their appeals process.
“It could make a huge difference for a lot of people,” Haque said. “On top of that, this ruling further protects people in DACA status already.”