Maryland Sues Trump Over DACA Program

BALTIMORE, MD - Maryland has joined three other states in suing President Donald Trump for rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, stating that it violates federal laws. The other states in the lawsuit are California, Maine and Minnesota.

There are 10,000 current DACA recipients in the state, according to Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh.

“The callous and cavalier action taken by the Trump Administration will destroy the lives of many immigrants who were brought here as infants and toddlers, who love the United States of America, who pay taxes and abide by the law," Frosh said in a statement. (Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts, or like us on Facebook. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

• Jeff Sessions: DACA Is Being Rescinded
• 'Shame!': Maryland DACA Supporters To Trump
  
• President Trump To DACA Recipients: 'Nothing To Worry About'

A 2012 executive order by President Obama allowed people who came to the United States as children to apply for deferred action for two years at a time. Once the deferred action expired, recipients could apply for renewal. Recipients had to have been at least 15 and under 31 as of June 15, 2012. An applicant convicted of a felony or at least three misdemeanors was ineligible.

The Trump administration announced on Sept. 5 that the program would be winding down.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that DACA recipients would remain so for the next six months, as the administration plans to use an interim period to usher out the order’s recipients. Filings for renewal for current recipients will be accepted until Oct. 5 and any future applications will be rejected, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Those eligible for the DACA program in Maryland contribute $40.8 million annually in state and local taxes, according to the federal complaint Frosh filed this week.

The lawsuit says that the federal government did not allow for due process, and ending DACA would cost Maryland an estimated $509.4 million in annual losses.

In addition to costing Maryland financially, Frosh said that ending DACA would take away an immeasurable element from the state's school systems, stating: "Maryland’s public institutions will lose the diversity and enrichment this population brings to the school community."

Capital News Service contributed to this report.

Pictured, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, via Facebook.