Prof. Michael Olivas on Supreme Court Immigration Decision

Michael A. Olivas, June 23, 2016 - "[T]he narrow technical ruling on an injunction is not the same as a full-scale constitutional rejection of deferred action on its merits. For the time being, immigrant students eligible under the original DACA order can continue to seek its protection, and immigrant rights groups should continue their efforts to provide them with technical assistance and help with application fees. This group at least can come out of the shadows, and once out, they are likely to remain so. It will be difficult for any future president to unring this bell. In the end, the deadlock in the court only underlines the pressing need for Congress to act on comprehensive immigration reform. The real malefactors on immigration aren't the Supreme Court justices, but the House and Senate. Among the conservative majority in Congress, there is a widespread political invocation of President Reagan to justify electoral aims. It was under Reagan's leadership that Congress passed the last major immigration legislation, the Immigration Reform and Control Act, 30 years ago. Anyone trying to lay claim to Reagan’s mantle should examine that legislative legacy."

Michael A. Olivas is a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he teaches immigration law and higher education law. He is on leave as interim president of the University of Houston Downtown.