Established in 2012, DACA offers protection against deportation for more than 600,000 individuals who were brought to the United States as children. In July, a federal district court in Texas ruled that DACA and its continued operation violate the Administrative Procedure Act. The U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court is reviewing the case on appeal.    

The brief, authored by Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) in coordination with Fair and Just Prosecution, demonstrates how DACA  promotes public safety by allowing recipients to “step out of the shadows, obtain valid identification, and work cooperatively with police and prosecutors without fear of adverse immigration consequences.”   

“I'm proud to have signed onto this brief defending DACA in the federal courts. When sworn in as Lake County State's Attorney, I promised to fight for all Lake County families to make our county safer and fairer for all people, and to let our office be the voice of the victim in the courthouse,” State’s Attorney Rinehart said. “America’s sacred mission is to provide a political, economic, and legal system that allows anyone to prosper regardless of the circumstances of their birth, and the DACA program is essential to promoting safety and justice for all. Simply, our local communities will not be safe if victims and witnesses born outside the U.S. lose DACA protections.”  

The brief emphasizes how ending DACA would endanger public safety, stating that  “when community residents live in constant fear that interactions with local law enforcement officials could result in removal, that fundamental breakdown in trust threatens public safety and impedes justice system leaders from doing their jobs.”   

 “DACA benefits everyone who cares about creating safer neighborhoods,” said Mary McCord, Executive Director at ICAP and a former federal prosecutor for over 20 years. “As current and former law enforcement leaders, our goal is to reduce barriers for people to engage with law enforcement. Eliminating DACA would have the opposite effect.”