California state leaders say they are prepared to take legal action over 'unconstitutional' decision to wind down DACA

California state leaders say they are prepared to take legal action over ‘unconstitutional’ decision to wind down DACA

Sept. 5, 2017 1:37 PM PT

Sept. 5, 2017, 1:37 p.m. Reporting from Sacramento

California officials say they are prepared to take legal action over ‘unconstitutional’ decision to wind down DACA

California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, right, speaks at a news conference Tuesday with Secretary of State Alex Padilla. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra said Tuesday that the state was prepared to sue the Trump administration over its decision to wind down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a move he called “unconstitutional” as it could violate the rights of thousands of young immigrants who followed its rules.

“They paid fees. They went through background checks. They are paying taxes. They are doing everything that was asked of them,” Becerra said at a news conference in Sacramento, alongside state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León and California Secretary of State Alex Padilla.

The decision to rescind the program, Becerra said, puts in jeopardy all those people who came out of the shadows and “relied on representations of the federal government.”

Becerra, Padilla and De León said they were prepared to take a stand as leaders of the state and as the sons of immigrants themselves.

De León said he was working with a team of lawyers, including former U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., to challenge the administration on the labor and employment issues the decision could raise, which the officials said could severely impact the California economy.

“The actions today more than horrify me,” De León said. “This great nation was built on the dreams of immigrants who came here looking for a better way of life, and in doing so, enriched us all.”

Padilla said Trump’s decision to have U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announce the termination of DACA was callous and cowardly. Padilla repeated comments he made on CNN soon after the decision was announced, telling young immigrants, known as Dreamers, that some elected officials would do everything in their power to fight for them.

“It is not lost on me that about 10 days after the pardon of Sheriff [Joe] Arpaio in Arizona that Donald Trump now takes the protections of DACA,” Padilla said. “If he really cared about Dreamers, he alone could save DACA, or at least keep it in place.”