WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol saw protests and arrests Thursday morning after the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy was ruled illegal by a federal appeals court on Wednesday.
The program prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought into the United States as children. The court ruled that the policy violates U.S. Immigration Law.
The ruling leaves the future of DACA up in the air, with current recipients protected but new applicants barred. Dozens of DACA recipients and immigration advocates showed up on Capitol Hill following the decision.
Protesters closed down Constitution Avenue Northeast after an act of civil disobedience. Around one dozen demonstrators were processed by Capitol police.
Demonstrators on Capitol Hill had their eyes on Congress to advance federal legislation that would provide a permanent solution for the immigrants that were brought to the country as children.
WUSA9's Rafael Sánchez-Cruz spoke with Karla Mercado on Capitol Hill Thursday; a first-time applicant from Virginia whose work permit and deportation relief are in limbo following the decision.
"This decision has been coming for a while and we kind of had an idea that it would be negative," Mercado said. "It's that feeling of being in limbo and not knowing what comes next . . . it's just, not knowing how it's going to impact you if it happens."
The Justice Department has since vowed to "vigorously defend the lawfulness of DACA as this case proceeds" in a statement.
The Biden administration is likely to file an appeal, which means that the final decision on DACA's legality would be issued next year by the Supreme Court; the policy's third time under review.
In 2016, the Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.