LOS ANGELES — Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), issued the following statement on the Trump administration’s announcement one year ago today ordering the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative:

“One year ago, we saw the full effects of having an attorney general who does not know the law and a president who does not respect the law, as Jeff Sessions announced the president’s intention to eliminate DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), caving to the baseless threat of legal action by the state of Texas. In fact, as last week’s decision by a federal court to deny a preliminary injunction in a legal challenge filed by Texas eight months later, there was no real threat that DACA would be imminently struck down.

“A full year later, with DACA renewals still available, we nonetheless still suffer as a nation from Donald Trump’s nativism and congressional leadership’s fecklessness. We must demand legislation to protect immigrant youth and to preserve their enduring and valuable contributions to our nation. We must demand that national leaders exhibit greater understanding of and respect for the law.”