United States appeals court rejects outgoing president Joe Biden's program to protect “Dreamers” immigrants.
A U.S. appeals court ruled Friday against Democratic President Joe Biden's effort toprotect immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children, just days before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld a judge's 2023 decision that found that a Biden administration rule intended to bolster the Deferred Consideration of Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program (acronym in English), did not remedy its legal deficiencies, but limited the scope of the ruling to the state of Texas.
The program for so-called “Dreamers” immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children offers 537,000 people relief from deportation and work permits, according to data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). .
The appeals court left in place a stay that allows current DACA enrollees to maintain quasi-legal status pending the outcome of the litigation.
Trump plans to embark on a sweeping immigration crackdown after his inauguration on Monday and aims to deport a record number of immigrants who are in the United States illegally.
The Republican president-elect tried to end the DACA program during his previous administration, but was rejected by the Supreme Court. In an interview in December, Trump said he was open to a deal with Democrats to protect the “Dreamers.”
Biden issued a regulation in 2022 that was intended to strengthen the legal status of the DACA program, but it was challenged by Texas and a coalition of states with Republican attorneys general. The states argued that DACA burdened their states with additional health care and education costs.
Democrats and immigrant advocates say DACA enrollees came to the United States through no fault of their own and are now law-abiding, contributing members of American society.
About 81% of DACA enrollees were Mexican, according to USCIS data. Other important countries are El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.