Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a tied ruling in United States v. Texas, upholding the Fifth Circuit Court decision.

As a result, families and children who might have benefitted from the President’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) remain at constant risk of deportation, unable to fully take part in the communities where they live and work – for some the only home they’ve ever known.

“Today’s 4-4 split decision is a deeply painful reminder of the cost of our broken immigration system on families, children and communities across the country,” DelBene said. “President Obama took reasonable steps within his authority to provide temporary relief to the families being torn apart by our current system. I’m disappointed a definitive decision wasn’t made because Senate Republicans have left the Court short one justice.

“I will not stop fighting until Democrats and Republicans come together and work on a comprehensive solution that reduces visa backlogs, creates an earned pathway to citizenship and keeps families together.”

The Fifth Circuit ruling – which blocked the Secretary of Homeland Security from implementing DAPA and expanded DACA programs – remains in place, leaving the work of repairing our broken immigration system to our next President and Congress.

Earlier this year, DelBene joined more than 200 of her colleagues in signing an amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court to overturn the Fifth Circuit’s ruling.

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, DelBene has led efforts to enact comprehensive immigration reform by helping introduce the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (H.R. 15) in the 113th Congress. She has also consistently said a long-term solution to fix our broken immigration system can only be achieved through congressional action.

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