Trump knocks DOJ over DACA driver’s license case

President Trump on Wednesday lashed out at the Justice Department, hitting the agency for not challenging an appeals court ruling that Arizona cannot deny driver’s licenses to immigrants without legal status.

In a tweet, the president said the agency should have pushed for the Supreme Court to intervene after a Tuesday decision issued by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that said Arizona overstepped by refusing to issue driver’s licenses to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients.

{mosads}

“Department of Justice should have urged the Supreme Court to at least hear the Drivers License case on illegal immigrants in Arizona. I agree with @LouDobbs. Should have sought review,” the president tweeted.

Department of Justice should have urged the Supreme Court to at least hear the Drivers License case on illegal immigrants in Arizona. I agree with @LouDobbs. Should have sought review.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018

Immigrants’ rights activists celebrated the Tuesday ruling, which effectively settled the issue in the state and the Justice Department said it would not appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

“Court after court has found that Arizona’s discriminatory attempt to prevent DACA recipients from obtaining driver’s licenses was unlawful,” Karina Ruiz De Diaz, executive director for the Arizona Dream Act Coalition, told USA Today after the ruling.

Trump announced last year that his administration would end the DACA program, which provides deportation protections to certain immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. On March 5, the first of the DACA protections began to run out.

Congress and the White House have battled over a permanent solution for the nearly 2 million DACA-eligible immigrants nationwide for months, with little progress.

The protections granted under the Obama-era program have, however, largely remained in place due to court injunctions blocking the administration from rolling them back.

In January, the Trump administration resumed accepting applications for DACA protections after a judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the end of the program.

“Until further notice, and unless otherwise provided in this guidance, the DACA policy will be operated on the terms in place before it was rescinded on Sept. 5, 2017,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said at the time.