Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker spoke out Tuesday against the Trump administration's decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, contending the move could hurt Massachusetts families and the state's economy.
Baker, a Republican, joined several other Massachusetts lawmakers in criticizing the White House's move to end the so-called DACA program, which has given an estimated 800,000 undocumented immigrants -- who were brought to the U.S. as children -- deferral from deportation and a work permit.
Contending that "President (Donald) Trump made the wrong decision today that could negatively impact our economy and many of the Commonwealth's families," Baker urged Congress to quickly address the issue.
"I hope Congress acts quickly to find a bipartisan, permanent solution to maintain the protections of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, which includes approximately 8,000 young Massachusetts residents who are right now serving in our military, attending our schools and contributing to our economy while striving to give back to their communities," he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford joined Baker in criticizing the Trump administration's decision, arguing that the White House "reaffirmed its agenda to vilify and punish our nation's immigrant community - once again forcing them back into the shadows and tearing families apart."
He added that "Massachusetts Democrats - including our senators, congressional delegation and Attorney General Maura Healey - stand with the 7,934 DACA recipients in Massachusetts and the 800,000 across the nation who have long considered America home and have made great contributions to our economy, our society and our communities."
Citing various legal concerns, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security has began an "orderly lawful wind down" of the Obama-era program.
Noting that the administration faced a Tuesday deadline to rescind the program or face a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke said the decision to end the program was not taken lightly.
Administration officials said no current DACA beneficiaries will be impacted before March 5, 2018 "so Congress can have time to deliver on appropriate legislative solutions." They added that no new initial DACA-related requests or applications filed after Tuesday will be acted on.