A total of sixteen states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits to block President Donald Trump’s plan to end protection against deportation for young immigrants.
While Idaho is not among the plaintiffs, the Gem State has a large Hispanic population that would be affected by rescinding the federal program.
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the program, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, will end in six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution for the immigrants. The program was established in 2012 by President Barack Obama to protect people brought into the U.S. illegally as children.
DACA gives renewable two-year work permits to qualifying undocumented immigrants. Nationwide, the program offers protection from deportation to 800-thousand young people.
The Pew Research Center found 9 out of 10 undocumented workers in Idaho are of Mexican descent, many of whom would be directly impacted by Trump’s decision. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 3,100 immigrants in Idaho are DACA recipients – of those, it is estimated 2,700 are working.
Also, according to one progressive think tank, losing the working DACA recipients would cost Idaho about $160,000,000 in revenue each year. (KIFI, Seattle Times)
