Becky G on Supreme Court’s DACA Ruling: ‘A Glimpse of Light to Remember Why We’re Fighting’
The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from ending the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program giving the nearly 700,000 DACA recipients a reprieve from deportation for now and allow them to continue to work in the U.S. legally.
The 5-4 vote that included the four liberal justices joined by Chief Justice John Roberts argued that the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to rescind DACA was “arbitrary and capricious” under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Becky G was among the first to applaud the Supreme Court’s decision on social media and later told Billboard, “Talk about the little glimpses of light we need during these times to remember why we’re fighting. It was an emotional morning, to say the least. I’m not gonna lie, I definitely cried.”
Literally have tears in my eyes after seeing that the Supreme Court ruled against the trump administration & in favor of the DACA program. In the last days we’ve recieved news for our LGBTQ+ ️ protection rights and now protection for our DREAMERS!
— Becky G. (@iambeckyg) June 18, 2020
Established in 2012, the program gives temporary protection from deportation to qualified individuals who arrived to the U.S. illegally as children. It also allows DACA recipients to work legally and apply for college loans if they meet certain criteria and pass a background check. Back in 2017, the Trump administration announced the rescinding of DACA, calling it “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
A blow to the Trump administration, the DACA decision follows a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court that protects LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination. “In the last days we’ve received news for our LGBTQ+ protection rights and now protection for our DREAMERS,” Becky G tweeted.
The Mexican-American artist then replied to her own tweet reiterating that the fight for equality continues and included a link with resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Small wins within the bigger fight for equality. We are still FIGHTING FOR EQUALITY & JUSTICE. #BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/uS2Hxgb7ac
— Becky G. (@iambeckyg) June 18, 2020