A look at scenarios and options DACA recipients have as the DACA program phases out in the next two years.</s>Donald Trump Lacks Moral Character and Sides with White Supremacists, Community Leaders to Hold Action Urging Congress to Take Action SAN JOSE, CA — On September 5, 2017, the White House announced the sunset of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months. “This cruel action by Trump is nothing less than heartless and it confirms our worst fears. By shattering the lives and the dreams of nearly a million young people, he has clearly chosen to side with nativists and white supremacists. While Trump has fallen on the wrong side of history, immigrant youth and their families will continue to fight back. Our eyes remain not only on Trump to reverse his intent to undo the program but also turn towards Congress to take swift legislative action on the DREAM Act” said SIREN Executive Director Maricela Gutierrez. DACA has allowed undocumented youth to contribute to their communities, to work, to go to school and to live their lives without fear of being ripped away from their families, and from a country they consider home. They are human beings who deserve dignity and respect as their neighbors, friends, fellow students or co-workers. While we continue to fight for DACA and all undocumented immigrants, it is important that DACA-recipients keep the following in mind:
• If the program ends but DACA-recipients are allowed to keep their work permits, you have the right to work legally until your work permit expires
• Even if the program ends, you have no obligation to inform your employer that DACA has ended; your employer does not have the right to ask whether you are a DACA-recipient or how you got your work permit
• Your employer does not have the right to fire you until after your work permit expires; if your expiration date is nearing, your employer may ask you for an updated work permit but cannot take any action against you until after it expires
• Your Social Security Number is valid for life, even if your work permit or DACA expires
• If you have a regular driver’s license and it expires after the program is terminated, you can still apply for an AB 60 driver’s license
• If you are outside the US on advance parole, return as soon as possible
• Seek trusted legal advice, especially if you are thinking of leaving the country, would like to be screened for other potential immigration benefits, or if you have encountered any criminal issues since receiving DACA
• Remind yourself of your rights with ICE
• If you have any questions, contact SIREN for an appointment or visit our weekly Thursday clinics for a free consultation at our offices While our hearts are broken at this moment, our spirit is on fire. We will not forget—not today, not tomorrow, not ever. And we will fight back with everything we have. We will not stop until our families are safe and until the country reflects the beloved community we desire. With six months until the program is expected to end, our fight will intensify now more than ever. We urge community members to weigh in with your members of Congress to call upon Trump to reverse his decision and to also push for robust legislation that will put DACA-recipients and undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. Specifically, we call upon members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to support the DREAM Act and the American Hope Act which will provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth. Community members and allies are invited to join us for a press conference/action to stand with DACA-recipients and urge the White House and Congress to take action to support immigrant youth and their families.</s>WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is trying to reassure the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in a program his administration announced it is ending.

"For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about - No action!" he tweeted.

He is referring to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which President Barack Obama created by executive order in 2012. Trump's administration said Tuesday it is rescinding the program but is giving Congress six months to take action on it.

Trump is navigating politically tricky waters. Portions of his Republican voters wanting a hard line on illegal immigration. Yet others in his administration and a majority of Americans support protected status for children brought to the country illegally by their parents.</s>Fifteen states and the District of Columbia on sued Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's plan to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation — an act Washington state's attorney general called "a dark time for our country."

The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of New York. The plaintiffs were New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said a program, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, will end in six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution for the immigrants.

The participants were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.

Those already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire. If their permits expire before March, 5, 2018, 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 but proponents of the program said the move by Trump was cruel.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the action violates the due process rights of the immigrants. He said he fears the information the immigrants provided the government to participate in DACA could be used against them.

"It's outrageous, it's not right," an emotional Ferguson said at a news conference in Seattle. "As attorney general for the state of Washington, I have a hammer, it's the law."

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joined Ferguson at the news conference and said "this is one more of a long train of abuses that this president has attempted to foist on this great nation."

Earlier this year, Ferguson sued Trump over the initial travel ban, which resulted in a federal judge blocking nationwide enforcement.</s>President Donald Trump said Thursday that young undocumented immigrants currently protected by DACA had “nothing to worry about” during the six months before the program’s protections ended.

On Tuesday, Trump formally ended DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The program allowed undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to apply for work permits, giving them the ability to live out of the shadows without immediate fear of deportation.

Though the program ceased accepting new applications on Wednesday, holders of current DACA permits expiring before March 5, 2018 can apply for a two-year extension before Oct. 5. Those with permits expiring after March 5 will be eligible for deportation as soon as the following day.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed after Trump ended the program that immigration agents would not prioritize DACA recipients for deportation once their permits expire. But she refused to say outright that they would not be deported. A DHS official speaking on background to reporters Tuesday said former DACA recipients would be “amenable to removal.”

Trump has sent mixed messages about DACA. After ending the program, he urged Congress to legislate it permanently. But Sanders told reporters that the White House wanted any legislation affecting DACA recipients to also include increases in border security, and possibly restrictions on legal immigration. And it’s far from likely that both Republican-controlled chambers of Congress settle on legislation Trump agrees to sign into law.

This post has been updated.</s>WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Youths who were brought to the United States illegally and gained protection under the Obama administration should not worry about their immigration status during the next six months before the program ends, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday.

"For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about - No action!" Trump said in a post on Twitter, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)</s>Fifteen states and the District of Columbia sued Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's plan to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation — an act Washington state's attorney general called 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."

Rescinding DACA will also injure state-run colleges and universities, upset workplaces and damage companies and economies that include immigrants covered under the program, the lawsuit says.

"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.

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.

A half-dozen beneficiaries of DACA — young adults from Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and elsewhere, including some now working at law firms or for the state Legislature — flanked Inslee and Ferguson at a news conference in Seattle announcing the lawsuit.

"It's outrageous, it's not right," an emotional Ferguson said. "As attorney general for the state of Washington, I have a hammer, it's the law."

Inslee said, "This is one more of a long train of abuses that this president has attempted to foist on this great nation."

Earlier this year, Ferguson sued Trump over his travel ban, prompting a federal judge to block nationwide enforcement.</s>A crowd of approximately 700 people gathered for a rally on the steps of the San Diego County Administration Building on the waterfront, according to the Sheriff's department, to protest President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA.

Several young people, registered in the program, spoke at the rally including a lawyer and aerospace engineer, who were able to pursue their education through DACA.

NBC 7 spoke to 21-year-old Copani Meza who said she had come to the U.S. for a better life with her mother. Meza said she was only 3-years-old when she joined her mother.

"It was just very emotional moment when I reconnected with my mom," Meza said.

Meza registered with DACA in order to pursue a career in criminal justice.

"I'll never forget…waiting to see if I was eligible, and honestly it's been a great journey ever since," she told NBC 7.

She added that she thought signing up was very risky but worth it.

"They know where I go to school, the car I drive, so it's a little scary to put yourself out there entirely," Meza said.

But now her journey is taking a turn she didn’t expect.

Trump announced Tuesday that permits through DACA will expire in March unless recipients are able to renew their application. It will be up to Congress to pass legislation for "Dreamers."

"I had no more tears to cry. I had already cried enough already, but I was heartbroken," Meza said.

But Trump's decision wasn't met with criticism by all.

Henry Rubio, who says his parents came to the country legally, told NBC 7 he supports Trump’s decision on DACA.

"We need to have controls as other countries have controls. I don't think you can go in any other country and then just move on in and suddenly become a citizen," Rubio said.</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is trying to reassure the hundreds of thousands of immigrants in a program his administration announced it is ending.

“For all of those (DACA) that are concerned about your status during the 6 month period, you have nothing to worry about – No action!” he tweeted.

He is referring to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which President Barack Obama created by executive order in 2012. Trump’s administration said Tuesday it is rescinding the program but is giving Congress six months to take action on it.

President Trump is navigating politically tricky waters. Portions of his Republican voters wanting a hard line on illegal immigration. Yet others in his administration and a majority of Americans support protected status for children brought to the country illegally by their parents.</s>President Trump’s decision Tuesday to scrap an Obama-era program allowing young undocumented immigrants to work in the United States would fall most heavily on the hospitality, retail and construction industries, which together employ nearly half of the 1.3 million immigrants initially eligible for protection, according to an analysis by New American Economy, a national business coalition.

The announcement that the Trump administration would phase out the five-year-old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program jeopardizes the livelihoods of tens of thousands of cooks, waiters, cashiers, salespeople and construction workers, the analysis found.

The impact will also be felt across tech, health care and education — where many of the DACA-eligible immigrants who are college educated work as software developers, nurses and teachers.

Of the DACA-eligible immigrants over 21 years old, 12 percent have bachelor’s degrees, 3 percent have advanced degrees, 84 percent have completed high school and some college, and 2 percent did not graduate from high school.

New American Economy, a national business coalition founded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to advocate for immigration reform, conducted the analysis for The Washington Post using census data.

“People have a very specific image in their mind of who an undocumented immigrant is, but the reality is that 'dreamers,' who are American in every sense of the word except the legal one, are working in every industry in every community,” said Jeremy Robbins, executive director of New American Economy.

In the hours following the Trump administration’s announcement, some executives reassured employees who are DACA recipients, saying the companies had no plans to fire them and would offer legal protection.

One multinational corporation that declined to be named said it offered employees the opportunity to be transferred to other countries — but its workers wanted to stay in the United States where they have made lives for themselves and their families. The company did not want to publicize the transfer option because it was afraid that doing so would take the urgency out of congressional action.

The Trump administration said it would wait six months to begin enforcing Tuesday’s action, giving Congress time to agree on a legislative solution. Current DACA recipients would not be impacted until March 5, 2018, the White House said.

“I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act,” Trump said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump said he decided to end DACA after 10 states threatened to sue the federal government over the constitutionality of the program. He said that he would gradually wind down the program over a period of two years.

“While new applications for work permits will not be accepted, all existing work permits will be honored until their date of expiration up to two full years from today,” Trump said. “Furthermore, applications already in the pipeline will be processed, as will renewal applications for those facing near-term expiration.”

[With DACA, Jeff Sessions bent Trump to his will - again]

Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft, said Tuesday that while he believes Congress should now prioritize DACA over tax reform, Microsoft should be prepared for the possibility that Congress will not act in the next six months.

He said Microsoft is committed to the 39 known dreamers employed by the company and would “vigorously defend” their legal rights.

“If Congress fails to act, our company will exercise its legal rights properly to help protect our employees,” Smith wrote in a blog post. “If the government seeks to deport any one of them, we will provide and pay for their legal counsel. We will also file an amicus brief and explore whether we can directly intervene in any such case. In short, if dreamers who are our employees are in court, we will be by their side.”

Apple chief executive Tim Cook sent out a companywide email, obtained by The Washington Post, following Tuesday’s announcement saying that Apple would make immigration lawyers available to its 250 dreamer employees.

Cook said he received several notes over the weekend from these employees, some of whom arrived in the country as 2-year-olds. They were born in Canada, Mexico, Kenya and Mongolia, were educated in American colleges, and now work for Apple in 28 states — in its retail stores, as engineers, and in research and development.

“I want to assure you that Apple will work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the dreamers in our country,” Cook wrote.

Cook and Smith were among the more than 500 executives who recently signed onto a FWD.us petition asking Trump and Congress to preserve DACA’s provisions. Some companies joined Tuesday morning as the Trump administration ended the program.

Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, said he expects chief executives to continue to weigh in on the issue, meeting with members of Congress and holding roundtables with DACA recipients. But he said he feared that if Congress does not come up with a legislative fix that the government would begin deporting large numbers of dreamers.

The average DACA recipient is 26 years old, he said. More than 80 percent are from Mexico, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Other top countries of origin are El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, South Korea, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and the Philippines.

The majority live in five states: California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois.

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Obama gave these legal immigrants permission to work. Trump may take it away.
Fifteen states sue the Trump administration over potential violations of the Due Process Clause as a result of actions concerning the rescindment of the DACA program.