Federal judge suspends Trump's move to wind down the DACA program for young DREAMers

(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 10 January 2018

On Tuesday night, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily suspended President Trump's move to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which grants residency and work authorization to non-citizens who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. U.S. District Judge William Alsup agreed to a request from California, the University of California system, and three other plaintiffs to require the Trump administration to continue accepting and processing DACA renewal applications while their lawsuits were being litigated. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' conclusion that DACA was illegal appeared to be "based on a flawed legal premise," Alsup wrote.

Under the ruling, the Trump administration does not have to accept new applications for DACA status but does have to renew the status of the 800,000 people already in the program. The Trump administration will likely appeal the ruling. It is unclear how Alsup's decision will affect ongoing budget negotiations between Congress and the White House, where Democrats are demanding legislation to protect so-called DREAMers as part of a spending deal.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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