Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona called on Congress to protect immigrants affected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amid reports that President Donald Trump will soon make a final decision on the program’s future.
DACA grants protection and a temporary work visa to some 800,000 immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, as implemented by an executive order in 2012. Flake’s statement comes one day after reports of the program’s impending cancellation emerged.
Congress needs to take immediate action to protect #DACA kids.
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 1, 2017
Trump said Friday that he would announce his decision on the program’s future at some point over the weekend.
“We love Dreamers; we love everybody…the Dreamers are terrific,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House.
Flake is joined in his words of support for the immigration program by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Immigration hawks, like Attorney General Jeff Sessions, have called for the program’s repeal, arguing it is an unconstitutional measure that rewards illegal immigrants. A coalition of conservative state attorneys general, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, threatened to sue the Department of Justice if the administration fails to end the program by Sept. 5.
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