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August 1, 2017

President Donald J. Trump

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We respectfully request that you continue Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and engage in
a vigorous legal defense of DACA in light of the renewed threat of litigation. Along with continuing to
accept requests for DACA, we ask that you direct your administration to: (a) oppose any efforts to
challenge DACA in the ongoing Texas v. United States litigation; (b) ask the court to dismiss the
complaint in United States v. Texas; and (c) refuse any settlement that would end DACA.

On June 29, the Texas Attorney General, along with nine other attorney generals, in an attempt to usurp
your authority, delivered to you an ultimatum threatening a legal challenge to DACA unless you ended
the program by September 5, 2017. DOJ has already made problematic decisions in choosing not to
oppose Texas request to stay the proceedings.2 We are further disturbed by Secretary Kellys comments
that he does not believe DACA is legally or constitutionally defensible.3 Finally, we are concerned that
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has historically opposed DACA, is now trying to abrogate your
authority and set the Administrations immigration policies, when, ultimately, you hold that authority.
You have stated, you understand the situation very well and that the future of DACA is a decision that
[you] make, not your subordinates.4 Furthermore, as you are aware, there is substantial legal support for
the constitutionality of DACA.5 We commend your Administrations continuation of DACA and
encourage you to keep DACA in place until Congress enacts a permanent legislative solution for this
population.

As you know, over 787,000 individuals currently possess a grant of DACA, all of whom were thoroughly
vetted for national security and criminal backgrounds.6 Ending DACA would increase the nations
undocumented population, profoundly and negatively impact our nations economy, contracting the
nations GDP by $ 460.3 billion. 7Additionally, this reduces federal tax contributions to Social Security
and Medicare by $24.6 billion over a decade, and costs businesses $3.4 billion in unnecessary turnover
costs.8

Texas v. United States, 86 F. Supp. 3d 591 (S.D. Tex. 2015).

2 Motion to Stay Merits Proceedings, Texas v. United States, No. 14 CV 00254 (S.D. Tex. July 7, 2017).
Ted Hesson, Kelly wont com,nit to defending DACA in court, Politico, July 12, 2017, available at http://www.oolitico.com/story/2O 17/07/12/john kelly
daca-legal-challenge-240470.
David Lauter, Trump says hell make the final call on DAcA, not subordinates, L.A. Times, July 13, 2017, available at
1499977334-htmlstorv.html.
Letter from Hiroshi Motomura, Professor of Law, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, et. al, to Barack H. Obama, President, United States,
Nov. 25, 2014, available at httos://pennstatelaw.osu edu/sites/defaultJfilesIdocuments/pdfs/1mmigrants/executive~action~lawprofletter.odf.
6 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Number of I 821 D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood

Arrivals by Fiscal Year, Quarter, Intake, Biometrics and Case Status: 2012-2017, 1 (March 31, 2017), available at https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports
studies/immi ration-forms-data/data-set-form-i-82 Id-deferred-action-childhood arnvals.
Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, Tom Jawetz, and Angie Bautista-Chavez , A New Threat to DACA Could Cost States Billions of Dollars, Center for American
Progress, July 21, 2017, https://www.americanorogress.org/issues/jnimj~rationJnewsJ2o 17/07/21/43641 9/new-threat-daca-cost-states-billions-dollars/
Jose Magafia-Salgado, Money on the Table: The Econonjic Cost of Ending DAcA, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Dec. 2016, available at
htt s://www.ilrc.or re ort-daca-economic-cost.

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

 Letter to President Trump
Page 2

Ultimately, you set the governments immigration policy, including your Administrations position in
regards to DACA. We urge you to respond to Texass threat to your executive authority by directing the
Attorney General to use all legal options to defend DACA and ensure that nearly one million DREAMers
continue to contribute to our nation.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely

~hJA~
Ra Grijalva d
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Nancy Pelo
2 Steny H. Hoyer

Member of Congress Democratic Leader Minority Whip

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Cc: The Honorable Jeff Sessions, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice