Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin recently joined California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and 18 attorneys general in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to maintain and defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In the letter, the attorneys general explain how DACA has benefited their states and the nation as a whole and call on Trump to fulfill his public commitment to Dreamers.
"While I may not see eye to eye about much with President Trump, I strongly agree with him when he says that we should treat DACA grantees 'with heart," said Attorney General Kilmartin. "These children have known nothing else but this country as their home, they contribute greatly to the fabric of our community, and they deserve our protection from any attempt to undermine their rights as residents."
Since DACA's inception five years ago, nearly 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to this country as children have been granted DACA status after paying application fees, submitting to and passing background checks and applying for work permits.
"Mr. President, now is the time to affirm the commitment you made, both to the 'incredible kids' who benefit from DACA and to their families and communities, to handle this issue 'with heart.' You said Dreamers should 'rest easy.' We urge you to affirm America's values and tradition as a nation of immigrants and make clear that you will not only continue DACA, but that you will defend it," wrote the attorneys general. "The cost of not doing so would be too high for America, the economy, and for these young people. For these reasons, we urge you to maintain and defend DACA, and we stand in support of the effort to defend DACA by all appropriate means."
The letter refutes arguments set forth by those opposing DACA and threatening litigation, saying they are "wrong as a matter of law and policy," and urges the President not to "capitulate" to their demands.
"DACA is consistent with a long pattern of presidential exercises of prosecutorial discretion," wrote the attorneys general. "DACA sensibly guides immigration officials' exercise of their enforcement discretion and reserves limited resources to address individuals who threaten our communities, not those who contribute greatly to them. Challenges have been brought against the original DACA program, including in the Fifth Circuit, but none have succeeded."
Joining Attorneys General Kilmartin and Becerra in sending the letter are attorneys general from: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C. ###