The latest news on DACA and Dreamers

On July 21, 2017, a bipartisan Senate bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois (S. 1615) introduced the Dream Act of 2017.  The measure would allow recipients of President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, commonly known as the "Dreamers" to obtain green cards and a path to citizenship, if certain criteria are met.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, along with 19 other Democratic attorneys general, have joined together to urge President Donald Trump to keep the under-threat DACA program. In a letter to the president, the attorneys general said the 800,000 recipients of the DACA program have been an economic boom to universities and employers.

On the other side of the DACA debate, Texas and nine other states have sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting that DACA be phased out and that DHS rescind the June 15, 2012 DACA memorandum and not renew or issue any new DACA or expanded DACA permits in the future.  If not, the letter indicates that the states will amend their litigation pending in the Southern District of Texas to challenge the DACA program.  The current administration has yet to provide any specific details about its plans for keeping or terminating DACA.