A Queer, Undocumented North Carolinian Looks Forward Following Major SCOTUS Decisions

WUNC | By Frank Stasio,

Published June 23, 2020 at 11:38 AM EDT

Protesters chant in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building during a rally after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program Thursday, June 18, 2020, in Phoenix. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump improperly ended the program that protects immigrants brought to the country as children and allows them to legally work, keeping the people enrolled in DACA.

The LGBTQ community and DACA recipients are celebrating last week's Supreme Court decisions. In a surprise 5-4 majority, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump Administration could not immediately end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program⁠.

Host Frank Stasio talks with North Carolina activist Emilio Vicente about the recent SCOTUS decisions.

Vicente with his dog, Corgi B. Luna, celebrating her first birthday last year.

It allows undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States when they were under the age of 16 to apply for temporary work permits and drivers’ licenses, and the program provides protection against deportation. But Chief Justice John Roberts left a loophole in the court’s decision and said the president could try again to revoke DACA.

Emilio Vicente, who grew up in Siler City, describes this moment as bittersweet. He is queer and undocumented, so the excitement of last week’s news is clouded by the loophole.

While not a DACA recipient, Vicente worries about the potential for DACA to become a political bargaining chip in the fight over immigration policy.

Host Frank Stasio checks in with Vicente, the advocacy and communications manager for Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, about how this moment affects the LGBTQ and Latinx community.