This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending June 17
Week Ending June 17
This week in immigration: NCLR responds to Orlando tragedy; awaiting a decision in United States v. Texas; DACA turns four years old; and DACA recipients remain eligible to serve in the military.
Keep up with the latest from UnidosUS
Sign up for the weekly UnidosUS Action Network newsletter delivered every Thursday.
NCLR kept the community informed with staff quoted in Univision.
Tragedy in Orlando: This week began with news of the terrible tragedy in Orlando where 49 victims lost their lives and many were injured. The victims were from Puerto Rico, multiple states, U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants. On Sunday, NCLR President and CEO, Janet Murguía participated in an event organized by the Human Rights Campaign, and joined civil rights leaders in grieving and condemning the attack. We extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this tragedy.
No ruling yet on United States v. Texas: Anticipation is building for the Supreme Court to issue a decision regarding President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Potential announcement dates include Monday, June 20th and Monday, June 27th. Additionally, there is some speculation that more decision dates will be added before the end of the month. Currently, 13 of the cases heard this term await a decision.
DACA’s four-year anniversary: June 15 marked the four-year anniversary of the announcement of the original DACA policy. Through March of this year, USCIS has reviewed and approved 728,285 DACA applications. A publicly released report also shows state-level application data.
An op-ed in The Hill shares the story of two of these DACA recipients, both high school valedictorians in Texas. Mayte Lara Ibarra, who will be attending the University of Texas, shared news of her undocumented status on Twitter following her graduation, while Larissa Martinez, a future Yale student, included the news in her valedictorian speech. Additionally, Juan Escalante from America’s Voice shares the impact DACA has had on his life in a Medium article.
U.S. House prevents amendment barring undocumented immigrants from serving in military: In a bipartisan vote, members of the House of Representatives defeated an attempt to bar undocumented immigrants who have received DACA from serving in the American military. The Pentagon announced two years ago that DACA recipients could participate in a trial program that recruits immigrants with unique language, medical, and cultural skills; 141 DACA immigrants have since used that path to serve in the country’s armed forces.
