We already know Governor Ducey’s record on DACA, so don’t let his statement fool you. Ducey has had many chances to stand up for DACA recipients, but he’s refused to do so at every turn. Ducey refused to overturn an executive order that kept DACA participants from getting driver’s licenses. And although he claimed he wasn’t involved with the ensuing legal battle, the Attorney General’s office claimed Ducey left the Attorney General out of the matter altogether, instead hiring outside counsel to litigate the issue. Ducey was asked to remove Arizona as one of the plaintiffs challenging DACA in federal court – he passed. And when the Arizona Board of Regents voted to extend in-state tuition to DACA participants, Ducey, an ex officio member, did not participate in the vote.
While Ducey refuses to stand up for the thousands of Arizonans that are working and going to school, a move to end DACA could cost Arizona $1.3 billion dollars, leaving a hole in the state’s economy.
American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“Governor Ducey has no backbone, period. From supporting Trump’s pardon of Arpaio to enforcing an unconstitutional executive order to deny driver’s licenses to DACA participants, whenever there was a chance for Ducey to stand up for hard-working Dreamers in Arizona, he made life even harder for them. Worse, Ducey’s pathetic response today makes it clear that he won’t stand up for Arizona’s economy, let alone its people.”
Arizona would lose $1.3 Billion in GDP if 27,865 DACA Participants and 24,243 DACA workers were deported. [Center for American Progress, 7/21/2017]
Ducey Refused to Overturn An Executive Order Issued by Jan Brewer Denying Driver’s Licenses to DACA Participants
Ducey Refused To Overturn An Executive Order Denying Licenses To DACA Participants. According to The Daily Courier, “Since taking office two years ago, Ducey has refused to overturn a 2012 executive order by predecessor Jan Brewer denying licenses to those who are in this country illegally but allowed to remain and work under policies of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” [Daily Courier, 1/29/17]
A Federal Judge Blocked Arizona From Enforcing An Executive Order Denying Licenses To DACA Participants
A Federal Judge Blocked Arizona From Denying Licenses To DACA Participants. According to the Arizona Daily Star, “Saying ‘dreamers’ are here legally, a federal judge late Thursday permanently blocked Arizona from denying them licenses to drive. U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell rejected arguments by attorneys for the state, seeking to void the temporary injunction already in place that those accepted into the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are in this country illegally.” [Arizona Daily Star, 1/23/15]
Ducey Was Criticized For Supporting Appeals To Arizona’s Issuance Of Driver’s Licenses And Extension Of In-State Tuition To DACA Participants
The Arizona Dream Act Coalition Criticized Ducey For Supporting Appeals To Arizona’s Issuance Of Driver’s Licenses And In-State Tuition To DACA Participants. According KJZZ, “Late last year, a federal judge ordered Arizona to begin issuing driver’s licenses to DACA recipients after a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling paved the way for that decision. And in May, a Maricopa Superior Court judge upheld a Maricopa County Community College District policy that allows DACA recipients to pay in-state tuition. That ruling prompted the Arizona Board of Regents to extend in-state tuition to DACA recipients at the state’s three universities. But in recent weeks, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has chosen to fight both rulings. In June he filed a 71-page appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the driver’s license case. And last week he gave notice that he would be appealing the in-state tuition ruling. In response to the appeals, the Gov. Ducey’s office offered the following statement: ‘The governor’s position is that the state will comply with the law as this issue is properly litigated in the courts.’ Dulce Matuz of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition said it is hypocritical for Ducey to support these appeals given his proclamation. ‘As the governor, he has the power,’ Matuz said. ‘And by not doing anything or staying quiet or not standing up for the morals and values of this nation and Arizona, he is doing a disservice to everyone.’” [KJZZ, 7/5/15]
Ducey Claimed He Was Not Involved With The Fight To Keep DACA Participants From Receiving Driver’s Licenses, Attorney General’s Spokesperson Claimed Ducey Left The Attorney General Out Of The Matter, Hired Outside Counsel To Litigate The Issue
Ducey Transferred Arizona’s Legal Defense Of The DACA Driver’s License Prohibition From His Office To The Attorney General’s Office. According to The Arizona Capitol Times, “Under former Gov. Jan Brewer, the Governor’s Office hired outside counsel to defend SB1070, Arizona’s landmark 2010 illegal immigration law, and Brewer’s ban on driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants who were granted legal status under Obama’s deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) program. But Ducey decided to transfer those cases from his office to the Attorney General’s Office, which represents all state agencies.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 2/9/15]
Arizona AG Spokesperson: Ducey’s Office Pursued Litigation Defending Arizona’s Ban Prohibiting DACA Participants From Receiving Driver’s Licenses
Arizona AG Spokesperson: Ducey’s Office Pursued Litigation Defending Arizona’s Ban Prohibiting DACA Participants From Receiving Driver’s Licenses. According to the Arizona Daily Star, “Gov. Doug Ducey’s repeated assertions that he is not the one fighting to keep ‘deferred-action’ recipients from getting licenses to drive are not true, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Friday. […] The governor also said it’s not up to him to decide whether to settle this latest lawsuit. Instead, Ducey said those decisions are being made by Brnovich’s office. On Friday, however, Brnovich spokeswoman Mia Garcia said that’s not true. ‘The Governor’s Office and ADOT (state transportation department) are being represented by outside counsel in this matter,’ she said. It was Brewer who, on her own, hired Douglas Northup to defend her executive order, without going through the Attorney General’s Office. And Northup continues to represent the Ducey administration in court. ‘Please refer to them for comment,’ Garcia said.” [Arizona Daily Star, 1/29/17]
Arizona Lawmakers Called On Ducey To Drop Arizona From A Multi-State Lawsuit Challenging DACA
Arizona Lawmakers Called On Ducey To Drop Arizona From A Lawsuit Challenging The DACA Program. According to The Arizona Republic, “Late Monday, however, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen ordered the Obama administration to put the programs on hold until the legal merits of a lawsuit filed by Republican governors and attorneys general from 26 states, including Arizona, can be determined. The lawsuit argues that Obama did not have the legal authority to create the programs and therefore they should not be implemented. […] Gallego and about a dozen other state lawmakers also called on Gov. Doug Ducey to drop Arizona from the lawsuit, which was initially joined by then-Gov. Jan Brewer, a strong critic of Obama’s immigration policies, before she left office in January. Ducey’s spokesman, Daniel Scarpinato, would not say whether Ducey would consider withdrawing from the lawsuit.” [Arizona Republic, 2/18/15]
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November 2015: The United States’ Appeal Of The Preliminary Junction, Which Went To The Supreme Court, Cited The State Of Arizona As A Plaintiff. According to The United States Supreme Court, “State if Texas; […] State of Arizona […] v. United States of America […] [Filed: Nov. 9 2015]” [United States Supreme Court, 12/8/15]
Ducey Did Not Participate In The Arizona Board Of Regents’ Vote To Extend In-State Tuition To DACA Participants
The Arizona Board Of Regents’ Voted To Extend In-State Tuition To DACA Participants. According to the Associated Press, “The board overseeing Arizona’s three public universities voted unanimously Thursday to let young immigrants who have been granted deferred deportation status pay tuition at in-state rates. The regents cited a Maricopa County judge’s ruling that said the students are considered legally present in the state. The decision by the Arizona Board of Regents came just two days after Judge Arthur Anderson ruled in a case brought by the attorney general against metro Phoenix’s community college district. That case challenged lower in-state tuition charged to so-called dreamers offered deferred action status under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.” [Associated Press, 5/7/15]
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Ducey, An Ex Officio Member Of The Arizona Board Of Regents, Did Not Participate In The Board’s Vote To Extend In-State Tuition To DACA Participants. According to the Associated Press, “Gov. Doug Ducey and Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas sit on the board by virtue of their posts, but neither participated Thursday. ‘It’s frustrating that the will of Arizona voters is being ignored by the courts and that Washington has made such a mess of this issue,’ Ducey said in a statement. ‘But given the current status of legal decisions, I understand and accept why the regents decided as they did.’” [Associated Press, 5/7/15]
Published: Sep 6, 2017