The DACA lawsuit Microsoft and Princeton University brought will be considered by the Supreme Court.
The court will decide whether President Donald Trump acted lawfully when he canceled the status of DACA — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — recipients back in 2017. The Obama-era policy allowed undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to work and live in the U.S. without the threat of deportation.
When Trump rolled back the policy, a number of plaintiffs sued, including Microsoft, Princeton, several states, and civil rights groups. The combined lawsuits will be considered by the Supreme Court during its next term.
“Today’s decision means the clock is now running, with even more reason for Congress to act,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith in a statement. Microsoft has long advocated for Congress to come up with a permanent path to citizenship for DACA recipients.
In September 2017, Trump announced he would let DACA expire the following March but federal district judges in California and New York issued nationwide injunctions that require the program to remain intact. Under those orders, the federal government must continue to accept DACA renewals but isn’t required to accept new applicants into the program.
The tech industry largely opposes the decision to end DACA, with companies filing friend of the court briefs and speaking out on behalf of the 800,000 or so immigrants protected by the program. Microsoft has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of Trump’s decision.
The Supreme Court will consider the DACA lawsuit during its next term and issue a decision sometime in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
