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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Immigration deadlock leaves Skagit County families without hope

Demonstrators protest against a Supreme Court decision on immigration outside the New York Supreme Court, Friday, June 24, 2016, in New York. (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press)
By Brandon Stone Skagit Valley Herald (Mount Vernon, Wash.)

Immigrant advocacy organizations in Skagit County spoke out Thursday against the Supreme Court’s 4-4 ruling on President Barack Obama’s expansion of deferred deportation programs, saying it dashed the hopes of many local immigrant families hoping for more protection from deportation.

“(The ruling) takes away all hope,” said the Rev. Jo Beecher, a member of the Skagit Immigrant Rights Council. “This is a time of crisis for our community.”

Beecher said many immigrant families in the county are classified as mixed immigration families, meaning some members are American citizens.

An extension to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, was struck down by the court and would have made residency more easily attainable nationwide.

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, would have deferred deportation of some of these families, Beecher said, but the program is effectively invalidated by the court’s split decision.

“(These people) have been here for years … and they just want to be here with their families,” she said. “This would have benefited our community greatly.”

Beecher said she knows of at least 700 people in Skagit County qualify for work permits under DACA. The existing DACA program won’t go away, she said, but the decision keeps the program from expanding.