By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
A federal judge has swatted down efforts by the Ducey administration to deny licenses to some deferred action recipients even after a federal appeals court ruled that such a move was illegal for others.
In a sometimes sharply worded ruling, Judge David Campbell pointed out that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals told Arizona in no uncertain terms years ago that “dreamers” with certain Employment Authorization Documents are lawfully present in this country and cannot be denied licenses. Since then, the state has complied and those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program have been licensed.
Yet state officials have refused to provide licenses to others in different deferred action programs to whom the federal government issued the exact same employment documents, like domestic violence victims. And that, said Campbell, is illegal.
“The federal government makes no distinction,” the judge wrote.
