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A 23-year-old immigrant detained by federal immigration authorities despite holding a permit under former President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is suing the government over his arrest, The New York Times reported.
Daniel Ramirez Medina has been detained since Friday, when immigration agents came to his house in Seattle to arrest his father and took him into custody as well. Medina, who came to the U.S. from Mexico at around age 7, has no criminal record that would jeopardize his status under the DACA program, under which more than 750,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children have obtained temporary protection from deportation and two-year renewable work permits.
The Times article does not mention whether Medina is a current or former college student. But his detention -- which lawyers and advocates who talked to the Times say is the first they know of involving a DACA permit holder in good standing -- will likely be of concern to many in higher education. Many college leaders have expressed concern for the well-being of their current and former students who are DACA recipients and called for the continuation of the program under President Trump. During the campaign, Trump said he would end the DACA program, but he has since softened his tone somewhat, suggesting he would “work something out” for beneficiaries of DACA while offering no specifics. The Obama-era program remains in place.
