The Trump Administration has until September 5th to decide the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.  DACA allows certain illegal immigrants who entered the country as minors, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit.  10 attorneys general have called for the DACA program to be rescinded by that date or face a lawsuit. 

5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and Senator Richard Blumenthal joined representatives from the Connecticut Immigrants Rights Alliance and ACLU to call for the program to continue. 

DACA has helped 8,000 immigrants in Connecticut obtain work permits, be protected from deportation and support their families.  Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen joined with 20 other Attorneys General calling for the support of DACA.

4th District Congressman Jim Himes issued a statement.  “Doing away with these programs goes against our fundamental American values, chiefly, the profound importance of strong, stable families. In order to achieve our shared goal of a strong, secure nation we need to concentrate our efforts on programs and policies that will actually make us safer, not on tearing families apart. For generations, the rest of the world has looked to America as an example of freedom and generosity of spirit. Ending programs like DACA, however, endangers that standing and represents a step in the wrong direction for our nation. We are better than this."