Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich Joins Push To Dissolve DACA

By Steve Goldstein, Mark Brodie
Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - 2:40pm
Updated: Thursday, September 5, 2019 - 9:23am

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Mark Brnovich
Sky Schaudt/KJZZ
Mark Brnovich at KJZZ in August 2019.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has joined 11 other state attorneys general in a bid to dissolve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created under President Barack Obama. DACA was implemented via executive order, which Brnovich believes was an illegal move by the previous administration, and President Donald Trump has so far been blocked from ending the program through an executive order of his own.

But if an executive order was enough to begin the program, Brnovich argues it’s enough to end it.

Not surprisingly, his decision to join this fight has drawn some criticism. State Rep. Cesar Chavez said he hopes even his Republican colleagues will reject the move and the message he said it sends to DACA recipients.

"So this message to DACA recipients pretty much says, 'You're not welcome,'" Chavez said. "Well, I want them to know that they are welcome here. That because of one individual, we cannot say we've lost any type of battle. If anything, this should just empower other elected officials."

And Chavez argued DACA has played an important role in the state’s economy, allowing recipients to become skilled professionals and providers for both their families and their communities.

"We should be doing more and filling those jobs by helping out individuals such as those that have DACA, getting them into these jobs so that they can continue to build onto this nation," Chavez said.

DACA has been a controversial topic since its inception, and now the matter could soon be settled.

Brnovich joined The Show to explain his perspective and what might happen now that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments.

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