On Thursday, a group of Bell County residents, some of them members of the League of United Latin American Citizens gathered to share their disappointment after the Supreme Court decision on immigration.
The 4-4 decision lets stand a lower court’s injunction against President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration. It would’ve allowed more than 4 million undocumented immigrants a way to remain in the U.S. without the fear of being deported.
Undocumented parents of U.S. born children who met certain requirements would’ve benefited from this program.
Anaiss whose parents brought her to this country when she was a one-year-old said her parents would've qualified for the executive order. She said now they won't have opportunities, such as having a work permit, giving their children what they wanted to give them and visiting family in Mexico.
Anaiss, 22, would be able to remain in the U.S. because she is a recipient of the original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which grants eligible undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children a deferred action for two years and work authorization.
However, her parents, other family members and members of the community could be deported.
"They [would have to back] somewhere where it has been years and years. Starting from the bottom again, leaving all your hard work behind," Anaiss said. "We've lost hope at this point and that's the last thing we had."
Temple resident Benito Costilla who is a recipient of the DACA program said the ruling may not affect him personally but it affects other people he knows.
“I know so many parents that have U.S. born children and this Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents was hope for at least some time after so many years, they could live a somewhat normal life. Now that the Supreme Court ruled this way, that hope is taken away,” said Costilla.
LULAC's Immediate Past Director of District 17 Rosa Hernandez said some undocumented parents who would have been eligible for the program have been deported or are in the process of being deported. She said their children would be then left to care for their younger siblings or sent to detention centers.
According to Hernandez, the current rules in place now are not enough to help people. She said the undocumented immigrants who contact their local chapter, who have worked during their time in the U.S. and do not belong to any types of terror groups.
“Because of the people we work with, that call us it's disheartening when you have a ruling like this that sets back instead of moving forward because we do want to move forward,” Hernandez said.
LULAC member Eva Garcia who works at Temple College has concerns about the ruling preventing undocumented high school students who may have been eligible for the expanded DACA program from going to college due to lack of financial aid.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement in response to the ruling.
“The action taken by the President was an unauthorized abuse of presidential power that trampled the Constitution, and the Supreme Court rightly denied the President the ability to grant amnesty contrary to immigration laws," Governor Abbott said. "As the President himself said, he is not a king who can unilaterally change and write immigration laws. Today's ruling is also a victory for all law-abiding Americans—including the millions of immigrants who came to America following the rule of law."
U.S. Rep. John Carter (R-TX 31) also issued a statement regarding the ruling.
“As a former Judge and now Chairman of the Homeland Security appropriations committee, I strongly agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Obama’s plan to create a ‘sanctuary nation’ for illegal immigrants. The President overstepped his executive authority, thwarting the will of Congress and the American people. Today the Court has upheld what Texans have long known to be true: President Obama’s executive amnesty is illegal, and would cause irrevocable harm to Texans,”' congressman Carter said.
Sen. Cruz also issued an statement agreeing with the ruling.
"[The] Supreme Court decision is a victory for the rule of law. As the Washington Post rightly noted, ‘the action deals Obama perhaps the biggest legal loss of his presidency.’ By trying to unilaterally grant amnesty to nearly five million people, President Obama invited even more illegal immigration, which in turn undermines our security and drives down the wages of Americans across our nation. No President has the authority to rewrite the law or ignore our immigration laws, and the Court’s rejection of Obama’s executive amnesty is a powerful rebuke of this administration’s lawlessness. I salute Texas for leading 26 states in securing this important victory for our Constitution and for our sovereignty,” Sen. Cruz said.
Some Central Texans plan to take the fight for immigration reform to Brownsville where federal district court put an injunction on President Obama's executive action.
Hernandez said the local chapter of LULAC will continue to work on grassroots efforts to encourage eligible voters to go to the polls.
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