WASHINGTON — The following is a statement from APA President Sandra L. Shullman, PhD, on the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program:
“The American Psychological Association applauds the Supreme Court’s decision that will allow the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to continue. During this unprecedented time when health care workers are so direly needed, the APA is especially pleased that the court’s decision will allow the estimated 27,000 DACA beneficiaries who are health care workers to remain in the United States.
“DACA beneficiaries are already at a disadvantage. Many were displaced from their home countries at an early age, which research shows can have long-lasting, negative consequences for their cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development. DACA enabled these individuals to be on a trajectory toward becoming U.S. citizens and provided them with some sense of stability. Allowing this program to continue maintains that stability and prevents future risk to their health and well-being that ending the program may have caused.
“As psychologists, we are deeply committed to policies that support the mental and physical well-being of all individuals. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case upholds those values.”
APA has a history of supporting immigrants. In 1998, the association issued a Resolution on Immigrant Children, Youth and Families, which recognized that immigrants to the United States experience unique stresses, prejudice and poverty and can be considered at-risk subpopulations for health, emotional, and behavioral problems. APA reaffirmed the resolution with a policy statement in 2019, calling on federal and state governments to provide sufficient funding to ensure that immigrants and refugees are able to access appropriate health and social services.