The fate of program to protect young immigrants still undecided
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
The Trump administration said Friday it still has not decided the fate of a program protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation, despite a statement a day earlier that the program will continue.
The mixed signals reflect the political sensitivities behind the Obama administration program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. As a candidate who put tough immigration policies at the core of his campaign, Donald Trump denounced the program as an “illegal amnesty” and said he would immediately end it.
Since taking office, Trump has expressed empathy for the participants often called “dreamers,” many of whom have no memory of living anywhere but the United States. Canceling the program could mean trying to deport more than 787,000 people who identified themselves to the government in exchange for temporary protection.
The Homeland Security Department said Thursday that the program would “remain in effect.”
That statement was included at the end of an announcement of the cancellation of a related Obama program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, which would have protected the immigrant parents of U.S. citizens. A court had blocked the program and it has never been implemented.
Following news reports that the program would continue, and reactions on both sides of the immigration debate, administration officials said Friday afternoon that no final decision had been made.