. we will go to london for reaction. in a major setback for the immigrant rights movement, a split u.s. supreme court blocks president obama's plan to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. >> i think this heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who have made her lives here, raise families here, who hoped for the opportunity to work to pay taxes, serve in our military and more fully contribute to this country we all love in an open way. amy: we will speak with thomas saenz to argue the case before the supreme court and with the young immigrants rights activists and her undocumented mother. been to baltimore where a second police officer was acquitted on all charges for his role in the arrest of freddie gray, who died of spinal injuries last year after he was arrested and transported in a police van. >> can you imagine how hard this has been for this family, or to really freddie -- rigidly freddie's mother? can you imagine losing a son under circumstances shrouded basically in secrecy? can you imagine the frustration that nobody yet has been found double bowl or liable for something that somebody did? amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. britain has stunned the world by voting to leave the european union, becoming the first major country to leave the bloc in eu history. british prime minister david cameron announced his resignation after leading the campaign to keep britain in the european union. he'll step down in october. the guardian calls the decision a "turning point in british history to rank alongside the two world wars of the 20th century." financial markets plunged after the news, with the value of the british pound dropping to the lowest level against the dollar since 1985. we will go to london to cover this historic vote after headlines. back in the united states, and a major setback for the immigrants rights movement, a split u.s. supreme court has blocked president obama's plan to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. the deferred action for parents of americans program, or dapa, would have shielded millions of immigrants with u.s. citizen or permanent resident children from deportation. thursday's decision may also affect president obama's plan to expand daca, the deferred action for childhood arrivals program. in washington, undocumented immigrant angel spoke out after the ruling. >> i just graduated from high school and i have the hopes that i would get the work permit to help out my family, but unfortunately, this happened. it is really heartbreaking -- i just had the hopes that one day i would get to contribute and help out my mom. all i want to do is help out my family. amy: democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton called the ruling heartbreaking, while donald trump praised the decision. we will have more on the supreme court ruling later in the broadcast. meanwhile, the supreme court also ruled to uphold a race-conscious affirmative action program at the university of texas. the petitioner, abigail fisher, has accused the university of texas at austin of discrimination for rejecting her college application, she says, because she is white. but in a 4-to-3 ruling, the court upheld the constitutionality of taking race and ethnicity into account. harvard law professor laurence tribe said -- "no decision since brown v. board of education has been as important as fisher will prove to be in the long history of racial inclusion and educational diversity." in news from the campaign trail, bernie sanders pledged to continue fighting what he calls a political revolution to transform the democratic party and the nation while speaking in new york city thursday. the speech was entitled, "where do we go from here?" a likely reference to martin luther king's iconic speech to the southern christian leadership conference convention in 1967. sanders pledged to fight to defeat donald trump in november, and to campaign for local progressive candidates. he also urged his supporters to never lose their sense of outrage over economic inequality. >> we cannot allow ourselves to become used to the fact that we got hundreds of thousands of children in this country who are homeless. danger,our greatest becoming useless and thinking it is normal. it is not normal. it is an outrage. and never, ever lose your sense of outrage. amy: meanwhile, a number of business leaders have backed hillary clinton. among those backers are facebook's sheryl sandberg and warren buffett, as well as the ceo's of general motors, delta airlines, airbnb, at&t, and boeing. meanwhile, presumptive republican nominee donald trump has arrived in scotland today, where he faces a barrage of protests and a boycott by a series of politicians, including scotland's first minister. trump held a press conference this morning at the trump turnberry golf resort. as u.s. networks switched to play his sales pitch live, a young man wearing a trump turnberry sweater stood up holding up red golf balls with nazi swastikas, saying -- "these are the new balls available from the clubhouse part of the new trump turnberry range." >> these are available from the clubhouse, heart of the new trump turnberry range. amy: donald trump also praised the brexit vote, saying british people had "taken back their country." scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the european union. despite the fact that trump arrived in scotland only hours after one of the most significant developments in modern british history, the goal of his trip is not political, he said but rather to visit his two golf courses and support his children's business. one of the courses, which is north of aberdeen, has lost millions of dollars and has attracted no major tournaments. trump had once pledged it would create 6000 jobs, but it currently employs 150 people. meanwhile, the former trump campaign manager corey lewandowski has been hired by cnn as a political commentator. he was fired tuesday. the was charged with battery in march after surveillance footage showed him grabbing reporter michelle fields. fields said lewandowski left bruises on her arm. the charges were later dropped. a federal judge has ruled cleveland's sweeping restrictions on protests during the republican national convention next month are unconstitutional. the ruling comes after the american civil liberties union sued cleveland. the city had demarcated a downtown cleveland that will be subject to broad restrictions during the convention, including banning everyday items such as umbrellas with metal tips, glass bottles, canned goods, large backpacks, and sleeping bags. meanwhile, the intercept is reporting the fbi, the department of homeland security and the secret service have , begun knocking on the doors of more than dozen cleveland activists ahead of the rnc. jocelyn rosnick of the national lawyers guild said -- "the purpose of these door knocks is simple: to intimidate the target and others in efforts to discourage people from engaging in lawful first amendment activities." on capitol hill, democrats have ended a 25-hour sit-in to demand action on gun control. without succeeding, and forcing the house to a vote. the sit-in was initiated by congress member john lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement, and comes in the wake of the orlando massacre at an lgbt nightclub, which left 49 people dead. on tuesday, the senate did vote on four separate gun control measures. all four measures failed. in baltimore, a second police officer has been acquitted on all charges for his role in the arrest of freddie gray, who died of spinal injuries last year after he was arrested and transported in a police van. officer caesar goodson, jr., who was driving the van, faced the most serious charges of all officers involved, including second-degree depraved heart -- depraved murder and three additional charges of manslaughter. we'll have more on baltimore later in the broadcast. meanwhile, a new report says the city of chicago has spent more than $210 million on police misconduct lawsuits between 2012 to 2015. the analysis by the chicago reporter also found city officials had borrowed millions to pay for the more than 600 lawsuits over the three year period, taking out bonds that have added to the city's debt. and a single-seater plane has successfully completed the first-ever solar-powered flight over the atlantic. the plane, the solar impulse 2, deported from jfk international airport early monday and arrived in seville, spain thursday after a 71 hour, 8 minute journey. pilot bertrand piccard spoke out after the successful flight. >> a world of modern-day technology, the world of respect for the environment, the world of innovation and pioneers. this is the world [inaudible] we would like to represent, would like to promote. we really hope this flight symbolizes the flight from the old world to the new world. amy: and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. juan: and i'm juan gonzalez. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. britain has stunned the world by voting to leave the european union, putting an end to a 43-year relationship. the so-called brexit vote passed by 52%. the guardian calls at a turning point in british history to rank alongside the two world wars of the 20th-century. britain will be the first major country to leave the european union. the decision to leave rather than remain means britain will now launch a two-year-long process to renegotiate trade deals and political links with what will now become a bloc of 27 nations. british prime minister david cameron led the campaign to keep britain in the eu, and responded to the vote by announcing he would step down by october. >> the british people have made a very clear decision to take a different path. and as such, i think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction. i will do everything i can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months, but i do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination. this is not a decision i have taken lightly. but i do believe it is in the national interest to have a period of stability and in the new leadership required. in my view, we should aim to have a new prime minister in place to the start of the conservative party conference in october. and i will do everything i can to help. i love this country and i feel honored to have served it. and i will do everything i can in the future to help this great country succeed. juan: polls ahead of the vote showed the race would be close, and the momentum had appeared to be on the remain side. the referendum turnout saw the the single highest u.k.-wide election turnout of the past two decades. the final figure was 72%. former london mayor boris johnson, who is from the same party as prime minister david cameron, was the most prominent supporter of the leave campaign and could be a leading contender to replace him. today johnson was booed as he left his london home. [boos] juan: later in the morning, boris johnson praised cameron after his resignation announcement and promised that he would not rush to leave the european union. , itn voting to leave the eu is vital distress there is no need for haste, and as the prime minister said, nothing will change over the short term except that work will have to begin on how to give effect to the people and to extricate this country from the super national system. and as the prime minister has rightly said, there is no need to invoke article 50. and until meanwhile, britain's independence party leader nigel , farage, called for a brexit government. >> i hope this victory brings out this failed project and leaves the are to sovereign nationstates trading together, bring friends together, and let's get rid of the flag, the anthem, brussels, and all that has gone wrong. [cheers] go down in history as our independence -- [cheers] amy: global financial markets have plunged in response. today, the european union president called on the remaining member states to enter discussions to help protect the eurozone in the pound. for more we go to london where we are joined by joseph choonara , a member of the socialist workers party and spokesperson for lexit, the left leave campaign. also joining us is alex scrivener policy officer at , global justice now. he campaigned with another europe is possible, the left campaign for britain to remain in the european union. we welcome you both to democracy now! let's first go to joseph. your response -- this is what you pushed for. >> yes, this is a really historic decision and we have to remember the big picture here which is that the european union has been underneath the u.s., one of the key organizers of neoliberal capital is among a global scale, a key force in imperialism in the world, and the organization that has been punishing workers in greece, and spain, in ireland under the period of austerity. it has operated as sort of a reserve army for the capitalist classes of europe and extremists. in a sense, i hope that britain voting to leave -- which, britain is the second-biggest economy in europe -- begins to precipitate the breakup of this club. that is the basis on which we clamp aimed -- campaign for exit. juan: joseph choonara, how do you respond to those who say the driving force of the brexit campaign was an anti-immigrant, xenophobia, and nationalistic movement and that your portion of the left in britain has basically united with that movement? >> well, actually, we started the lexit campaign because we wanted to be an independent was that did not unite with those people. it is true there are people in borisxit camp -- nigel and johnson, who are happy to play the race card. that is entirely true. however, he would be a gross mistake for people on the left and progressives to believe that all of those who voted for exit were motivated by racism. of course, there was a racist exit vote, but they're also huge number's of people, the vast majority of skills from unskilled, and semiskilled workers in this country voted to leave. , birmingham for example, multicultural cities, voted overwhelmingly -- not overwhelmingly, but narrowly, to leave in this referendum campaign. it is not true all of those people were motivated by racism. it is also the case on the remaining side, there are racist forces. you take a mood cameron -- you take david cameron. he launched a few months ago and islamaphobic campaign against the man running for the mayor of london, abusing his authority in parliament to smear that figure my labour party figure, claiming he was a pathetic to isis when there is no evidence of that whatsoever. y government put through agendas. we should not assume it is monopoly on racism. tohave a very big struggle fight against racism in this country. that will be the case whatever the outcome of the referendum. but i think both myself and alex are very committed to now whatever the outcome is of taking for that struggle. amy: alex scrivener, you wanted britain to remain in the european union. respond. >> i think we need to be clear and then wake up a little bit to the reality of the new normalcy of what happened. i don't think this is anything else but a massive defeat for progressive forces. not just in the u.k., but across europe. we see celebrations from the likes of the far right national front in france, those in holland, far right forces in germany and austria. this is a victory of the most unsavory parts of politics, not just in the u.k., but across europe are celebrating. i think as people who are progressives and believe in an antiracist, anti-xenophobic future for our country, we should be very, very worried. we have woken up today to her britain in which it is much, much scarier place to be a migrant. yes, there were many problems with european union. staympaign explicitly to and change it, to make it into a better organization. to democratize it. what was done in greece was an abomination. what is definitely clear is that this referendum, which by the leave camp, pretty much on two issues, one of which is sort of lies about putting more money into nhs, which i think everyone agrees are basically untrue, and a second issue, which i think was overwhelming and probably led to their victory, was immigration. i think that should scare us a lot. it does scare me. i have been up all night. i'm genuinely terrified about the future of this country in this continent. from trump in america to la france, the enemies are celebrating and we should be worried. juan: alex scrivener, what about the issue -- you mention immigration. what will happen now in terms of immigration policy in britain, especially because the european union obviously allowed the flow of labor from one country to another in terms of micro-labors thing able to enter britain -- migrant laborers being able to enter into britain? >> is difficult to say what exactly is going to happen. what i would suspect is very likely since a large proportion of this vote has been about immigration, unfortunately, and that is a failure of us on the progressive side to appeal to people and to make the argument for free movement -- i suspect this country is going to become a much scarier, much more difficult place to live if you are -- if you don't sound like boris johnson. amy: today, british prime minister david cameron assured investors that britain's economy remains strong. >> across the world, people have been watching the choice britain has made. i would reassure those markets and investors that britain's economy is fundamentally strong. and i would also reassure brits living in european countries and european citizens living here that there will be no immediate changes in your circumstances. there will be no initial change in the way our people can travel, in the way our goods can move, or the way our services can be sold. amy: that is british prime minister david cameron. this was european parliament member marshall's reaction of leaving the european union. >> both sides should respect mutually the different views, now the united kingdom decided to leave and therefore, the member states will remain in the european union must discuss how to improve the european union and how to protect, especially the euro zone countries, how to protect the euro zone in the next coming months much protect against what is happening already now with the pound, what is already happening on international markets. time, turbulent times, we need stability, and that is what i hope will be the outcome of the next meetings. joseph choonara juan:joseph choonara, i would like you to respond to those comments and also can you talk about what you think will happen now with jerry corbin, the labour party leader who was also a supporter of staying in the european union? the first point about the economic situation, i think part of the problem is for most ordinary working people in britain, there is a sense that the british economy is -- there's massive inequality. no use of people feel left behind. for those people, it is unclear to them what the european union was doing to help those people. all they see from the european union is more democratic and accountability, neoliberalism, and the rest of it. let's see what happens. my own view is the crisis of 2008 is far from over. whichever way the vote went, there was the prospect of the economy worsening. on the question of jeremy corbyn, it is interesting. historically, he has been an opponent to the european union, the same basis i am opposed. one of the things he is charged with by the labour party, which has now a petition calling for corbyn's removal, he wasn't enthusiastic enough about the european union. part of the problem i think is it is a mistake for the radical left to prop up these institutions of neoliberal capitalism. it is true the people on the right cheering on british withdraw from the european union , but there are also people on the left -- i have two messages from greek workers before i came into the studio saying people were celebrating in athens about this. the point is, there is going to be popular opposition to these kinds of institutions. doesn't it receive a right focus or left focus? that is a challenge. i think was a mistake for jeremy corbyn to not campaign against european union on the left perspective. it would have made the voice of people who wanted a left exit louder. nonetheless, what jeremy corbyn said this morning, we have to accept the outcome. class. to build a better a support corbyn on that. one of the things i will be campaigning for now that cameron is that he is stepping down, is a fresh election in britain. whoever steps into downing street will have no mandate. therefore, we would like to see new elections. i would hope germany corbyn would win. amy: let's get alex scrivener's response. also, donald trump made a remarkable trip to scotland in the midst of this and made it beingusing the media trump tv showing him live wherever he is, he simply made it an ad for his scottish resort, his golf club. when asked about what has happened, the big massive news of lexit, he said that he would be a good time to visit his golf resort because the pound was low. alex scrivener, if you can talk about what you see happening now -- we having an unusual debate. two people on the left for and against brexit. you have thomas mair the murderer of jo cox. she was pro-remain. and now, what, the netherlands, sweden, italy -- is the european union sing the beginning of the end, alex, and what difference does that make? >> i hope not. that is truly terrifying to me. this is where i disagree must sharply with joseph. you can call the eu what of you like, but [inaudible] farageope that nigel describes, countries divided and doing their own thing, we had that europe going on for 2000 years and for those years, we're seeing constant war, cost of suffering on this continent. this short time of a postwar era has been the longest period of peace on this content. -- continent. we're living in very terrifying times. the national front, leading the polls at the moment for the french presidential election. we are on a level of political crisis we have not seen since the 1930's. i think the glee in some parts of the left about the eu breaking up, i think people are going to regret that. if that leads to a retreat into nationalism, which is only happening. there is no such thing as a left exit. there may have been in greece, there definitely isn't here. the only exit on the menu was the exit of nigel farage is donalded by people like trump and vladimir putin. and fourthly, the people of britain have neroli taken that option. i think to pretend the left in this country, the progressive side of the political spectrum was more or less not completely united, obviously, as joseph is on the opposite side, but the vast majority of trade unions, labor unions, the vast majority of progressive organizations in favor --try were in albeit reluctantly for many reasons -- for remain. we were afraid of what was going to happen. unfortunately, what we have seen so far is going along that script that we really feared. and i think, you know, there is a huge responsibility on all of us, no matter which side we are on, to fight for migrant rights, fight for those people who are going to lose hardest from this historic and tragic moment in our history. amy: i want to thank you both for being with us, alex scrivener, programming global , justice now. campaigned with another europe is possible, the left campaign for britain to remain in the eu. which did not happen. a record vote is leading to britain leaving the european union. and joseph choonara member of , the socialist workers party and spokesperson for lexit, the left leave campaign. this is democracy now! we come back, we come back to the united states, another major decision -- this one, a u.s. supreme court decision, huge defeat for the immigrants rights movement in this country. it was a split u.s. supreme court. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: "should i stay or should i go" by the clash. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. in a major setback for the immigrant rights movement, a divided supreme court has blocked president obama's plan to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. on thursday, the court returned a 4-to-4 ruling, leaving in place a lower court decision that obama had overstepped his authority. the case concerned obama's deferred action for parents of americans program, or dapa, which would have shielded millions of immigrants with us citizen or permanent resident children from deportation. it also affects obama's attempt to expand the existing deferred action for childhood arrivals program, or daca, which since 2012 has protected immigrants brought to the united states as children. at a news conference in los angeles, undocumented immigrants responded to the supreme court's tie. had this little bit of hope i would be able to see my parents, which has now been dashed. i also know we will not stop. together we will continue to fight because this fight must go on and it will not stop. we need to knock on doors and touch hearts because we're immigrants who came to this country to carry it, not to burden it. we deserve an opportunity to be here the glee. >> i just graduated from high school and i have the hopes that i would get the work permit to help that my family, but, unfortunately, this happened and it is really heartbreaking i just had the hopes tot one day i would get contribute and help out my mom. because all he want to do is help out my family. >> today also reminds me that we just have to keep fighting because so many millions of people like my parents are waiting for this. it has been a very long fight, one that i have been involved with for a very long time. and it is very tiresome. but just remembering all of those moments helps you remember that we always stand up and fight back, and that is what we will keep doing. we continue moving forward. amy: the supreme court case came after 26 states led by texas sued to block obama's immigration plan. following the death of antonin scalia, the court has only eight members. republicans have blocked president obama's nomination of merrick garland to replace scalia. speaking at the white house on thursday, president obama responded to the deadlocked supreme court's decision. >> for more than two decades, everyone acknowledges our immigration system has been broken. the fact the supreme court was not able to issue a decision today doesn't just set the system back even further, it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be. juan: meanwhile, republican texas attorney general ken paxton welcomed the ruling, saying it -- "keeps in place what we have maintained from the very start: one person, even a president, cannot unilaterally change the law. this is a major setback to president obama's attempts to expand executive power, and a victory for those who believe in the separation of powers and the rule of law." the ruling is likely to further amplify the role of immigration in the 2016 presidential election. amy: for more we're joined now , by three guests. in los angeles we're joined by , thomas saenz, president of maldef -- the mexican american legal defense and education fund. he was one of four attorneys to argue the immigration case before the supreme court. and in seattle, washington, we're joined by maru mora villalpando, an activist and undocumented immigrant with the group, latino advocacy, and part of the #notonemoredeportation campaign organized by the national day laborers organizing network. of millions of people impacted one by the supreme court's ruling. we are joined by her daughter, josefina mora, who is a u.s. citizen. we're going to start with thomas saenz who was one of the lawyers who argue this case before the supreme court. split decision. your response? >> it is a disappointment, but it really points out how dysfunctional and politicized our system even in the courts has become. the fact there are only eight justices is a fact that comes to us because the united states senate refuses to do its job and pass on the nomination put forward by president obama. in fact, judge garland was nominated to the court more than 30 days before the argument in this case -- more than enough time for him to have been seated here the argument and to render decision in this case together with his colleagues. in addition, the 26 dates responsible for seeking to stop program that would only benefit their state and the residence should be held accountable for continuing to hold hostage this important initiative announced by the president november 2014 to provide temporary relief to so many millions of people who are raising families contribute into our economy and society year after year after year. juan: thomas saenz just to get clear on what the deadlock was over, it was an over the substance of the issue, but a deadlock over whether a preliminary injunction would be issued. can you explain? >> this was a decision on culinary injunction. there still action to be taken in the courts. we together with united states government will be working in the court to try to ensure the president's authority, well-established by his predecessors, to engage in this kind of prosecutorial discretion, that relief can be provided. juan: you'll have to go back to the u.s. district court in texas to argue the case itself, the substance of whether the president does have the power to issue these temporary stays. >> that is correct, and lesser is a petition for rehearing, which is something that we and aregovernment i am certain looking at, which is weathered as the supreme court to hold the case over until it has a ninth justice and rehear the appeal. amy: thomas saenz, you're representing three mothers in this country without documentation who have your citizen children. when you argue before the high court, you said they live in daily fear of being detained or deported. what happens now? >> unfortunately, the status quo remains. they will continue to live in a fear, which is why what the president announced was such wise policy into the benefit of everyone, including the governor's and attorneys general in those 26 states, who nonetheless took upon themselves to block the program nationwide. inside, these are folks who deserve to have that protection from the daily fear, including the fear experienced by their u.s. citizen children -- many of them very young -- who go to school every day not knowing whether they will come home to an anti-home or to the absence of one of their parents who might have been placed in detention or removal proceedings. this is a reasonable response to the fact that these are important components of our community. these are folks who are contributing to economy, to our society, and deserve to live without that daily fear and deserve to live with work authorization so they can continue to raise their families successfully in this country. clear, the president in a statement yesterday said as far as he is concerned, the issue of deportations will remain as it is now with a low priority by the administration for law-abiding, undocumented to be deported. the only issue is whether they would be able to get temporary work authorizations under this program, right? >> first of all coworkers authorization is critical for folks to have the right to work and support their families. moreover, there have been problems in immigration enforcement scheme under this administration where rank-and-file officers around the country have not followed those enforcement priorities and have placed people who are clearly, by anyone's consideration, low priority targets, into deep rotation -- deportation step that is the problem the announcement in 2014 of an expansion of daca in the implementation of dapa would have addressed. it would have insured nationwide uniformed enforcement of those priorities when it comes to immigration issues. amy: i want to bring in maru mora villalpando. what happens to you now? means for youhis as a mother of a u.s. citizen, josefina mora. explain what the supreme court decision, how it will affect you. >> thank you. well, it keeps me the same as i have been in the past 20 years, trying to avoid police, injuring my daughter knows everywhere i go, creating a network that will support me in case i get detained and placed in deportation proceedings. our lives continue pretty much the same, being the result of this political game. this is what me and millions of parents and even those that are not parents that are being willded from daca and dapa have to continue facing. juan: josefina mora, as you hear the presidential race proceeding, the arguments over immigration, the refusal of republicans to act on comprehensive immigration reform, what is your sense of what you as a person here in the united states has to do in the coming months? >> well, i think it is important -- the elections are incredibly important. i feel lucky as a u.s. citizen -- and it is my first your voting, actually -- i think will be a tough election year. but aside from elections, it is important he is my privilege as a u.s. citizen to organize my community. not only within the latino community, but the white committed to because -- committed he. i felt those, especially those undocumented, have to turn this disappointment into anger. i think it is to show into organizing and pushing obama not only to stop deportations, but to try again in the little time he has left to do something on immigration. this is unacceptable. the decision represents racism that this country was founded on. and the racism against the president as well because they're trying to block every action he is trying to do. amy: you were arrested at a trump rally in may in washington state? >> i was. amy: why were you there protesting? how old are you, by the way? >> i just turned 18. i participated in that rally because i wanted my community to know we will not allow bigotry to be in our community. it is bigger than the trump campaign. it is just representing a country that is founded on hate and racism and on the taking of native peoples land. this land really is a native peoples land and we should not be having -- immigrants should not be having to ask permission for the us government to allow them to stay, it should be the date of americans. it was important for me to represent not only as a citizen of this country but as a daughter of immigrants that we will not allow bigotry and hatred into our community, specially on a town that is so historically racist. juan: i want to go back to thomas saenz for moment. the daca that president obama eral years ago in terms of young people brought to this country as undocumented, that was not at all affected by this particular battle that rose up from texas and when to the supreme court and got deadlocked? >> that is correct. the 2012 deferred action for childhood arrivals remains in place and those who are eligible really should continue to apply for renewal, for new applications. that is still available and is inhabited to obtain work authorization. so far, over 700,000 immigrants have detained just obtained through daca and that should continue. it was a new initiative for deferred action of the parents of americans and expansion eligibility for the pre-existing daca initiative. juan: but donald trump has found to reverse daca if elected, correct? >> that is the problem. any president, this president or his successor, could choose to end different action or could choose to limit it in any way, which is why we really need our government to do its job by an acting immigration reform as we have been expecting for well over a decade. it is an emblem of the continued dysfunction that we now have not only in congress, but senate leadership that refuses to act on a nominee to the supreme court. by consequence, a deadlock supreme court on one of the most critical issues facing the country. amy: i want to thank maru mora villalpando and josefina mora for joining us from seattle, washington. and thomas saenz, we want to turn to another issue with you, another major supreme court decision. on thursday, the supreme court affirmed the fifth circuit court of appeals in fisher v. university of texas, and held that that the university of texas at austin's race-conscious admission program is lawful under the equal protection clause of the u.s. constitution. late last year your organization , maldef filed an amicus brief on behalf of over 20 national latino advocacy groups supporting the affirmative action program. i want to get your response to the supreme court ruling, but first, let's to turn to the petitioner in the case. abigail fisher says she was rejected by the university of texas because she is white. in this online video, fisher billed her lawsuit against affirmative action as a challenge to discrimination. >> there were people in my class with lower grades who were not in all of the activities i was who are being accepted and the only difference was the color of our skin. it would get rid of the boxes. male, female, whatever. it doesn't tell who you are or how involved you are. all addresses for you even a box. get rid of the box. amy: thomas saenz, your response? victorys a great yesterday. it does ensure that across the country, universities can continue to use affirmative action in admissions, which is the necessary element of educationalual opportunity. it is not true that we could illuminate the box and somehow act as though we are adequately evaluating students. the fact is, race and gender and national origin still matter in this country. it shapes how students who are preparing for college are allowed to prepare. it shapes their opportunities. it shapes their experiences. and preventing universities from considering such an important element of a student's experiences in there the potential for success in her education is simply foolish not just as a matter of equal educational opportunity, but as a matter of ensuring our universities are admitting though students with the greatest potential to succeed. juan: how broad is this decision? some people have argued it was specifically tailored to the unique admissions program that exists at the university of texas and the state of texas, and might not necessarily be broad enough to cover admissions policies at other universities. >> this is the second time the fisher case is going to the supreme court. a few years ago, the court agreed that the university could racean affirmative action conscious affirmative action program if it was pursuing the interest of diversity. that was the first step. this was a more detailed application of the test to the specific ut austin program. the victory yesterday is an indication to universities around the country they can continue to pursue these programs so long as they do so consistently with the restrictions placed on them by the supreme court. extends victory that beyond the university of texas at austin to all universities that are considering race as one limiting element of decision-making when it comes to admissions. amy: we want to thank you for joining us, thomas saenz, president of maldef -- the mexican american legal defense and education fund. when we come back, we head east to baltimore, maryland, to another police officer acquitted in the death of freddie gray. stay with us. ♪ [music break] amy: this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. we end today's show in baltimore where a second police officer was acquitted on all charges for his role in the arrest of freddie gray, who died of spinal injuries last year after he was arrested and transported in a police van. officer caesar goodson, jr., who was driving the van, faced the most serious charges of all officers involved, including second-degree depraved indifference murder and three additional charges of manslaughter. billy murphy, the gray family attorney, responded to the verdict. >> can you imagine how hard this has been for the family, particularly the mother? can you imagine losing a son under circumstances shrouded basically in secrecy? can you imagine the frustration that nobody yet has been found culpable are liable for something that somebody did? so this is very frustrating experience for mama and for daddy and for the rest of us. amy: caesar goodson was one of the six officers charged in gray's death and the third to go on trial. officer edward nero was acquitted of all four misdemeanor charges last month. officer william porter was the first officer to go to trial charged with involuntary , manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. in december, judge williams declared a mistrial in porter's case after jurors were unable to reach a verdict on any of the charges after three days of deliberation. for more we are joined by doug colbert, professor of law at the university of maryland school of law. also, joshua harris. we welcome you both. doug colbert, the significance -- this was a bench trial, right? caesar goodson was charged with most serious charge, second-degree -- can you explain "heart" murder? >> sure, but it is important keep in context howrare it is for police officers to be charged with homicide throughout our country. there is a proximally 10,000 people killed while in police custody during the last 10 years, and only 54 have made it to trial and only four had been convicted. rare.is exceedingly what we're seeing a baltimore is a local prosecutor who conducted an independent investigation because she was well aware of the likely outcome if police investigated themselves. the prosecution presented a very strong case against officer porter the first trial. nearly convicting him of two charges. yesterday's trump concluded with an acquittal, but in my opinion they presented a strong case and that would include the depraved indifference as well as the reckless homicide and the other assault and misconduct charges. and that is because officer goodson was under a duty to safeguard and protect christer freddie gray while in his van. that is his job to do. he left freddie gray handcuffed and shackled on the floor of a van, inches away from banging his head against the metal insides of that van. when we look at that situation and we see officer goodson time and again standing outside the van, never going inside, never checking on his prisoner, never asking anything that would allow him to call for a medic, go to a hospital, put some seatbelts on him -- something that would help protect freddie gray. that is where if you look at that four or five times, yet opportunity to do it, that is where the depraved indifference comes in as well as being aware of the risk and consciously disregarding it. juan: joshua harris, i want your response to the verdict and also to the calls by some who say the state's attorney should not continue to prosecute the remaining officers now that she is had to acquittals and one hung jury. >> i don't think the verdict was a surprise. this is a complicated case. i also believe the state's attorney should continue with the remaining cases. we also know the officers coming up, the trials will be coming up are the ones who first initiated contact with mr. gray. i think it is extremely important for us to see this trial come forward and the evidence be submitted and see the outcome of it. i think many citizens and baltimore are not surprised. i think they understand that justice for baltimore extends far beyond freddie gray. justice for baltimore is about tyrone west who occurred before freddie gray two years prior. it is understanding the racial divide, class divide, and economic impoverishment that exists in baltimore that has created the conditions of situations like freddie gray to exist year in the city. amy: joshua harris, the first trial, the hung jury, was a jury trial. , bench trials, acquitted. talk about the strategy the police are using. >> i think the police understand they have more -- a better chance with the judge them with the -- the judge directly than a jury who understands there's a history of police brutality. we have created a culture that has been accepted on what police have not been held accountable or responsible for their actions here in baltimore city. they understand they are more likely to go directly with the judge, given the outcome versus baltimore he and who understand what has happened historically in the city. amy: doug colbert, if you could comment on a spring court decision that came down earlier this week that has to do with police powers where judge sarasota mayor quoted everyone from ta-nehisi coates, sotomayor -- to michelle alexander. >> well, freddie gray was really charged with running from the police. he committed no crime. he was charged with no crime. and another supreme court case gave the police rsonable s after freddie gray. thaswaen m deplorable because what is done now is police can literally stop you, detained you, investigate whether you have any outstanding warrants without any believe that you do have a warned. so police can now stop -- if they find a warrant, and they found one for the utah men for failing to pay a traffic fine -- then ty arst yound do a full-blown search. took onsotomayor justice thomas's majority opinion. amy: we're going to leave it there but will continue the conversation social and posted online at democracynow.org. doug colbert, professor of university of maryland school of law, and joshua harris. thank you so much for joining us. i'll be speaking saturday at the wam! nyc gender justice in media conference at barnard college at 4:00 p.m. check democracynow.org for details. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who >> "p. allen smith's garden to table" is brought to you by... mountain valley spring water. mountain valley spring water, america's premium water since 1871, has been bottled in glass at the same natural spring source for 140 years. more about mountain valley spring water at mountainvalleyspring.com. >> we're going crazy for berries, coming up next.