Colorado on Wednesday announced that it would join 15 other states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against President Trump’s decision to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. 

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) called Trump’s decision to end the program “outrageous,” pressing Congress to “immediately” pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and immigration reforms.

“President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program is outrageous and risks the futures of more than 17,000 Coloradans. Colorado benefits when DREAMers have the opportunity to thrive in our communities and the only country they’ve ever known,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.

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“These young people should not have to suffer because of our broken immigration system. While this lawsuit is no substitute for the sort of comprehensive immigration reform that can only come from Congress, it sends a necessary message that the rule of law and basic notions of fairness still matter in this country.”

The lawsuit, filed last week and led by Democratic attorneys general from Washington, Massachusetts and New York, will contend that Trump’s decision to end DACA violates the Administrative Procedure Act in addition to the Constitution’s equal protection and due process clauses. 

The Trump administration announced last week that it would phase out the Obama-era DACA program, which temporarily blocks the deportation of young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as minors and pursued work permits.

Both chambers of Congress in recent months have presented updated bipartisan versions of the DREAM Act, which was first introduced to Congress in 2001.

Trump has called on Congress to act in the next six months on immigration legislation before DACA expires.