Attorney General Files Lawsuit to Block Trump’s DACA Repeal

By Ben Fractenberg, BROOKLYN — New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman joined 15 attorneys general from other states and Washington, D.C. in filing a lawsuit in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s DACA repeal.
The state prosecutors argued that ending the Obama-era executive action to shield young undocumented immigrants from deportation discriminates against people of Mexican origin, who make up 78 percent of DACA grantees, according to the attorney general.
“Immigration is the lifeblood of New York State. The Trump administration’s decision to end DACA is cruel, inhumane, and devastating to the 42,000 New Yorkers who have been able to come out of the shadows and live a full life as a result of the program,” Schneiderman said.
“These DREAMers play by the rules. They work hard and pay taxes. America is the only home they have ever known — and they deserve to stay here and keep contributing to our state and our nation.”
The attorney general went on to say Trump’s decision was “driven” by his “anti-Mexican bias.”
Several immigrants have also filed suit against Trump.
Queens resident Batalla Vidal argued that the repeal was based on “racist beliefs of a president who has been attacking Latinos and Mexicans since the first day of his campaign.”
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested in the city Tuesday after the announcement to repeal the program.
There are nearly 800,000 people covered under the program, which is set to phase out on March 5.
Trump said in a tweet that it was up to Congress to pass legislation on DACA, or else he might change his decision.
Schneiderman was joined by prosecutors from Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia. dnainfo.com/new-york