Trump's DACA Decision: Hawaii Among 15 States Suing To Block

HONOLULU, HI — Hawaii, 14 other states and the District of Columbia sued Wednesday to block President Donald Trump's plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which protects young immigrants from being deported.

The lawsuit was filed in New York. The plaintiffs include New York, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said DACA will end in six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution for the immigrants. (For more information on Trump's plan to end DACA and other Honolulu stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin tweeted:

AG Chin: "Where the Trump administration fails to do what's right, we will work with other states to stand in the gap and protect Dreamers."
— Hawaii AG (@AtghIgov) September 5, 2017

The participants were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas.

Those already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire. If their permits expire before March, 5, 2018, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5. But the program isn't accepting new applications.

Opponents of the program said they are pleased with the Trump administration's decision. They called DACA an unconstitutional abuse of executive power but proponents of the program said the move by Trump was cruel.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the action violates the due process rights of the immigrants. He said he fears the information the immigrants provided the government to participate in DACA could be used against them.

"It's outrageous, it's not right," an emotional Ferguson said at a news conference in Seattle. "As attorney general for the state of Washington, I have a hammer, it's the law."

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joined Ferguson at the news conference and said "this is one more of a long train of abuses that this president has attempted to foist on this great nation."

Earlier this year, Ferguson sued Trump over his travel ban, which resulted in a federal judge blocking nationwide enforcement.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

Photo credit: Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press