Phoenix police Chief Jeri Williams has stepped into the fray in the debate over “dreamers” — undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. as children —saying she supports policies that allow them to lawfully remain in the country.

Williams and 17 other law-enforcement leaders throughout the country recently joined a lawsuit that aims to preserve the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The Obama-administration era executive action shields some 800,000 young adults from deportation, allowing them work or go to school.

President Donald Trump threw those protections in limbo in September, though, announcing plans to end the program by March 5 unless Congress could find a permanent solution.

A wave of lawsuits followed shortly thereafter, filed by states and businesses opposed to Trump’s decision.

A suit filed in federal court by Princeton University, one of its students and Microsoft in November challenges the constitutionality of the roll-back plan, arguing that it violates the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.

Princeton and Microsoft argue that Trump’s policy would harm key members of their community and workforce. The third plaintiff, Maria De La Cruz Perales Sanchez, is a DACA-protected student.

Defense attorneys for the United States said the case should be thrown out, arguing that immigration-enforcement policies are by law left to the discretion of the agency.

U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper has yet to schedule oral arguments.

Williams and the other law-enforcement officials signed onto the suit as friends of the court, in support of the plaintiffs. Williams was joined by police chiefs of cities including Seattle, Dayton, Houston and Tucson.

In a brief filed last week, the police officials argued that DACA supports “community policing,” the philosophy that calls for engagement between officers and those they’re sworn to protect. The filing added that undocumented immigrants, in particular, are less willing to report crimes out of fear they’ll be targeted for deportation.

“DACA ameliorates these problems by addressing an important reason that many individuals fear cooperating with law enforcement,” the document states. “As experience with DACA has shown, when immigrants are permitted to step out of the shadows, they are much more willing to work cooperatively with police.”

Williams confirmed her support for the suit in a statement to The Arizona Republic.

“It’s not a political statement for me,” she said. “It’s just the right thing to do. If we want safer communities, we need to eliminate barriers that discourage victims and witnesses from working with police.”

The brief was co-authored by Joshua Geltzer, executive director of Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.

Geltzer acknowledged the various lawsuits challenging Trump’s action, and said he hopes the law-enforcement voices will add value to the overall cause.

In some political narratives, Geltzer said, the elimination of DACA has been framed as a boon to public safety.

“We hope to clarify that for those on the front lines of public safety, which (includes) Police Chief Williams, actually terminating DACA would be real step backwards,” he said. “It would really make their jobs, day in and day out, harder.”

In a Sept. 5 written statement, Trump said he did not favor “punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents."

Still, he continued, “we must also recognize that we are a nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.”

Trump said Congress, rather than the executive branch, should be responsible for immigration policy.

The Department of Homeland Security immediately stopped accepting DACA applications after Trump’s announcement, but those already enrolled won’t be affected until March 5.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said he was assured by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that senators would negotiate a bipartisan DACA bill come January.

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