Congressman Duncan Hunter (CA-50) made the following statement regarding the announcement by the Trump Administration to formally rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and instruct the Department of Homeland Security not to process any new applications.
“DACA was initially an executive decision that’s now being reversed by executive authority. And in doing so, President Trump is aiming to keep families together and uphold his commitment to address the immigration issue in a way that’s consistent with his promises. The truth is that President Obama overstepped by excluding Congress from the decision making process on DACA. President Trump is putting it back in the hands of Congress where the discussion and consideration should have been from the start.”
DACA was originally implemented by President Obama in 2012 as an executive order without utilizing the normal legislative process or allowing Congress to have any input toward a feasible and permanent solution. Current DACA program participants begin losing their status benefits on March 5, 2018. Speaker Paul Ryan has indicated that this addressing this issue will remain among the top legislative priorities of the House this year.
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