Elected officials in Connecticut have some strong words for President Donald Trump’s administration after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, "is being rescinded."
"It takes someone with a dark heart to do something as cruel and pointless as this. Dreamers are Americans – they grew up here, went to school here, work here. Their entire lives are here. But this won’t just disrupt their lives, it will also hurt our economy and the local communities that they are an integral part of,” Senator Chris Murphy said in a statement. “I’ve met so many impressive young Dreamers. I want them to know that I’ll keep fighting to keep their families together, and urge them to get in touch with my office if they need help.”
U.S, Rep. Rosa DeLauro called ending the program “immoral.”
“DACA is not a free ride, despite the heated rhetoric and misinformation surrounding this issue,” DeLauro said in a statement. “There are many requirements to qualify, such as entering the U.S. before age 16, continuously living in the U.S. since 2007, not being convicted of felonies or significant misdemeanors, and finishing high school or serving in our armed forces. DREAMers have followed the rules, gone through the entire application process, and been approved to stay in our nation. We should not betray them by threatening their ability to learn, work, and live in this country. “
Gov. Dannel Malloy said the decision puts more than 10,000 youth who live in Connecticut at risk.
Malloy called the decision to end DACA “wrong-minded.”
“From elementary and secondary education, to post-secondary education, to supports for vibrant, safe communities – we have invested so much into undocumented children who have grown up in America,” Malloy said in a statement. “Denying these youths with access to work opportunities and affordable higher education goes against the very core of who we are. The fact is, pushing these young, gifted individuals into the shadows not only diminishes their chance for a bright future, but it darkens ours, too.”
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He said Connecticut stands to benefit from welcoming Dreamers.
“The rollback of DACA would be a disastrous mistake for not only Dreamers, but our entire nation,” Malloy said. “I urge Congress to act swiftly to reverse this misguided action and enact protections for the over 10,000 youth in Connecticut, and hundreds of thousands more across the country, who are now at risk through no fault of their own.”
Sessions called the Obama-era law "an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch."
"The executive branch through DACA deliberately sought to achieve" what Congress did not choose to enact, Sessions said.
He said the Department of Justice advised President Donald Trump to begin "an orderly, lawful wind-down" of the program — which acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke has accepted — arguing it would be struck down in court like another immigration policy of President Barack Obama's was.
Mark Ojakian, president of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, called the Trump administration’s cancellation of the Obama-era program “heartbreaking” and said it will have a ”devastating impact on some of the state's best students.”
“These DACA students were brought as children to the United States and for many of them, Connecticut is the only place they’ve called home. We are extremely proud of our students — they are doing everything we expect them to do as engaged young people pursuing their dreams of higher education. Many have double majors, a 3.5 GPA or better and all are working hard despite the day-to-day fear of knowing their families may be deported at any moment,” Ojakian said in a statement.
He said the state colleges and universities have and will continue to fight for DACA students.
“That is why we advocated fervently to our legislators in favor of allowing our DREAMERS access to their own institutional aid, and one of our universities was selected to host DACA students from states where they could not attend higher education institutions,” he said in a statement. “We stand with Connecticut’s DACA students and those across this country and urge Congress to finally take action to protect these young Americans.”
Attorney General George Jepsen said he is disappointed in President Trump's actions today.
“DACA is not only lawful, it is smart and compassionate public policy. My office is currently in communication with our partners in Connecticut state government as well as fellow attorneys general in other states, as we review the Trump Administration's actions to determine what our response may be," he said.
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney said he will work to reverse the president's decision.
“In addition to the moral questions posed by such a move, the president’s decision to rescind DACA will carry significant economic consequences for our country as well. Many estimates show that without the people currently covered by DACA our annual GDP would shrink by billion(s) of dollars. These students are not ‘takers’ as some would portray them, but are in fact hard working people – many of them highly educated. Our nation's employers have made their views loud and clear on this topic: we need these students in America's workforce, not in handcuffs,” Courtney said in a statement.
