This week, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily blocked Donald Trump’s decision to end the Obama-era immigration policy known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). Judge William Alsup ruled that the Trump Administration made a “mistake of law” when it rescinded DACA.
DACA protects the status of young people (often referred to as “Dreamers”) who were brought to the United States illegally as children. It allows them to legally live, attend school, and work in the United States, as long as they continue to abide by the law.
“This has become an important program for DACA recipients and their families, for the employers who hire them, for our tax treasuries, and for our economy,” Alsup said.
The judge’s ruling occurred just a few hours after a White House meeting of bipartisan leaders to negotiate broader immigration reform, during which President Trump vowed to support policy that the group came up with. In that meeting, Trump appeared to be in agreement with the Democrats’ support of extending DACA, calling it a “bill of love.”
To date, Trump has rejected a bipartisan compromise immigration deal that would include protecting DACA recipients as well as increasing border security. On Thursday, Trump said, while reviewing a list of countries for temporary protection status (TPS) as part of the proposed deal, “Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?” referring to Haiti, as well as to countries in Africa.
Trump has wavered in his support of DACA, at times saying that DACA youth should be protected, and at other times saying that they should be deported. Currently, Republicans are generally in favor of a legislative fix to the DACA policy, as long as immigration reform legislation includes funds for increased border security.
Last fall, when the Trump Administration first announced it would rescind DACA, the Department of Homeland Security stopped processing new DACA applications. Since then, the Department has been in a state of winding down the program in an orderly manner. Following Judge Alsup’s ruling, it’s not yet clear how the Department of Homeland Security will respond to the judge’s DACA ruling, and if/when it will begin accepting DACA applications again.
Judge Rules against Trump Administration on Rescinding DACA | Fox News [2018-01-10]
Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Ending DACA Program | CBS News [2018-01-10]
