Appeals court rules against Trump's 'arbitrary and capricious' effort to end DACA

A second federal appeals court has ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit on Friday ruled in a 2-1 decision that the administration was "arbitrary and capricious" in its efforts to end DACA, which provides protections for some undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children, The Washington Post reports.

The court said that the Trump administration's attempt to end the program violated the law because the administration did not provide "a reasoned explanation for the change in policy." This overturns a previous ruling from a Maryland judge last year that the administration could proceed in ending the program, The Associated Press reports.

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The appeals court decision comes after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last year blocked the Trump administration from ending DACA, allowing the program to remain in effect. The legal battle will likely be taken up by the Supreme Court, as the Trump administration has asked for, although AP notes a decision probably would not come until 2020.