Board of Immigration Appeals Opens Door to Removal of DACA Recipients
NPR reports on the latest on the Trump administration's efforts to deport noncitizens who have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
A precedent decision released yesterday by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) found that being a DACA recipient is not enough reason to provide relief from deportation.
The BIA sided with Department of Homeland Security who appealed a decision from immigration judge Michael Pleters terminating removal proceedings for Catalina "Xóchitl" Santiago, citing Santiago's active DACA status. They sent the case back to a different immigration judge for review. According to NPR, "[t]he BIA order . . . notes that DHS argued Pleters, the immigration judge, should be recused from the case because he is married to Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, who has been outspoken about DACA issues on Capitol Hill, this case specifically and whose district includes El Paso."
