Attorney General Phil Weiser moves to join multi-state coalition defending DACA

March 21, 2019 (DENVER, Colo.) — Today, Attorney General Phil Weiser moved to join a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s actions to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

This action to protect DACA and work with other states and partners across the nation seeks to ensure justice and opportunity for immigrants brought here as children.

“My mom came to the United States as an immigrant after fleeing religious persecution. As Attorney General, I am proud to defend our DREAMers and their right to live in the only country they’ve ever known as home. Our nation is stronger because of our welcoming attitude toward immigrants who come here to share their talents, work hard, and benefit from our freedoms and economic opportunity,” said Weiser.

The Administration’s decision to end DACA—and revoke a commitment that information shared by the DREAMers with the federal government will not be used for other purposes—threatens the well-being and livelihood of 17,000 DREAMers living here in Colorado. These DREAMers, whether in the military, college, or our work force, are an integral part of Colorado’s diverse communities and make significant contributions that benefit our economy. Studies have demonstrated that ending DACA would negatively impact our economy. Moreover, the DREAMers living in Colorado pay more than $34 million in state and local taxes annually.

In 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the government was terminating the DACA program. In the following months, multiple challenges to the Administration’s actions were filed around the country. Thus far, those challenges have successfully protected the DREAMers, establishing that the government’s efforts to end DACA were illegal, because they did not follow the Administrative Procedure Act.

Today, Attorney General Weiser moved to join more than a dozen other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit that challenges the end of DACA as illegal and protects the DREAMers here in Colorado.

###

CONTACT
Faith Whang, Marketing & Communications Specialist
(720) 508-6541 office
Email: Faith.whang@coag.gov