In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the Trump Administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA program, there is much excitement within immigrant communities.
For now, undocumented immigrants brought to the U-S as children can stay in the country and work toward citizenship.
State Senator Stephanie Chang’s district includes Southwest Detroit, which has a high Latinx population. She says this decision by the Supreme Court lifts up the entire community.
“There are so many people in my district who have benefitted from DACA and they are teachers, they’re nurses, they’re first responders – they’re people who are here because their parents brought them here and have contributed so much to the community.”
Chang says she’s hopeful Congress can work toward a permanent immigration solution.
She says she didn’t expect the ruling to go this way, but she hopes it brings about a positive change in immigration policy.
“Very, very, very welcome surprise," Chang said. "I think people across the country are celebrating that decision and obviously looking forward to seeing if we can strengthen some of these programs.”
In Michigan, 6,400 people were able to avoid deportation due to DACA.