Young undocumented immigrants would have been at risk of deportation from March 5
Developments on Day 403 of the Trump Administration:
No Resolution of Immigrants’ Status in Sight
The Supreme Court blocks the Trump Administration’s attempt to end a program protecting almost 800,000 young undocumented Dreamer immigrants from deportation.
The Trump Administration has ordered the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, established by Barack Obama in 2012, from March 5. However, two federal judges have ruled that the administration must maintain the major elements of the program while legal challenges continue.
On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an unusual White House request for an immediate decision on the fate of the program.
The administration had asked the Supreme Court to rule, even though no appeals court has yet offered a verdict. The justices said they expected the appeals court to “proceed expeditiously to decide this case”.
The decision relieves the immediate political pressure to resolve the immigration issue, while leaving the status of the Dreamers in limbo for an indefinite future.
Last September, Trump announced the end of the DACA program while pledging to work with Congress to resolve their status. However, in alliance with hardline Republicans, the White House has attached a series of conditions for the Dreamers and about 1 million other undocumented immigrants to be given a path to citizenship in 10 to 12 years. These include full funding of Trump’s $25 billion Wall with Mexico, an end to immigrants bringing close relatives to the US, termination of the diversity visa lottery program, large increases in border security measures and funding, and a sharp cut in admission of immigrants and refugees.
The White House has refused to support bipartisan efforts seeking a compromise measure.
