Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

A Judge Ordered the Trump Administration to Restore the DACA Program for DREAMers, and Jeff Sessions Just Responded

A Judge Ordered the Trump Administration to Restore the DACA Program for DREAMers, and Jeff Sessions Just Responded
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions listens during a news conference to announce significant law enforcement actions July 13, 2017 at the Justice Department in Washington, DC. Attorney General Jeff Sessions held the news conference to announce the 2017 health care fraud takedown. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He does not appear cowed in the slightest.

President Donald Trump's efforts to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was dealt a blow on Friday when a federal judge ordered the administration to fully restore the program designed to prevent the deportation of children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents.


In April, U.S. District Judge John Bates gave the Department of Homeland Security 90 days "to better explain its view that DACA is unlawful." Bates said Friday the government's reasoning for ending DACA was "inadequately explained," adding that the Trump administration "cannot rely on the reasons it previously gave for DACA’s rescission, because the Court has already rejected them."

Bates concluded in his ruling:

For the foregoing reasons, the Court again concludes that DHS’s September 2017 decision

to rescind the DACA program, as now explained in the Duke and Nielsen Memos, was both subject

to judicial review and arbitrary and capricious.

Bates continued:

The Court has already once given DHS the opportunity to remedy these deficiencies—either by providing a coherent explanation of its legal opinion or by reissuing its decision for bona fide policy reasons that would preclude judicial review—so it will not do so again.

"A conclusory assertion that a prior policy is illegal, accompanied by a hodgepodge of illogical or post hoc policy assertions, simply will not do," Bates wrote. "The Court, therefore, reaffirms its conclusion that DACA’s rescission was unlawful and must be set aside."

Bates' ruling is the third derailing the Trump administration's crusade against DACA since the president decided to end the program in September 2017. DHS has 20 days to appeal the ruling before DACA must be fully restored, Bates ruled.

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement trashing the court's decision.

"We strongly disagree with the district court’s decision on Friday in the DACA case," Sessions said.

The executive branch's authority to simply rescind a policy, established only by a letter from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is clearly established. The Department of Justice will take every lawful measure to vindicate the Department of Homeland Security's lawful recission of DACA.

"We have recently witnessed a number of decisions in which courts have improperly used judicial power to steer, enjoin, modify, and direct executive policy," Sessions added.

Supporters of DACA responded to Sessions on Twitter, offering their "thoughts and prayers" to the administration.

"Womp womp." Pretty much.

"Thoughts and prayers."

The racist undertones of the Trump administration's attitude toward the children of undocumented immigrants did not go unnoticed.

The people have spoken.

More from People/donald-trump

Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less