Politico reported on Monday night that President Trump will announce that has decided to end DACA after a meeting with several White House aides on Sunday afternoon.
Also known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era program provides temporary work permits to anyone who entered the country illegally as a child under the age of 16. Children who came to the US with their parents are able to apply to "defer" their deportation, giving them the opportunity to attend school and apply to become citizens if they wish. If DACA is completely cut, an estimated 800,000 people could be forced to leave the US.
Young people affected by #DACA are American in every way except immigration status. @POTUS ending program is not who we should be as nation.
— Sen. Al Franken (@SenFranken) September 4, 2017
If Trump decides to end DACA, it will be one of the ugliest and cruelest decisions ever made by a president in our modern history. https://t.co/EXfRAy5azO
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 4, 2017
Trump is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday, which would fulfill one of his campaign's most central promises. While there's been speculation that the president will cut the program since last week, new details about how Trump plans to go about abolishing it have surfaced.
According to Politico, the White House plans to delay the program's end, which could offer Congress the chance to revamp it or create their own version, since the law was put in place by President Obama, not Congress. Ideally, this would mean that there's still hope that the program can be saved. However, it is unclear what would happen to those who have permits under the program during those six months, or those whose permits would expire would expire within that time frame.
As NBC News reports, the White House's decision to end the program with a six month delay was likely an effort to compromise with Republican lawmakers, many of whom have spoken out against ending DACA, saying it would punish children who haven't done anything wrong by coming to the US with their parents.
"I've urged the president not to rescind DACA, an action that would further complicate a system in serious need of a permanent, legislative solution," Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch told NBC News. "Like the president, I've long advocated for tougher enforcement of our existing immigration laws. But we also need a workable, permanent solution for individuals who entered our country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own."
Considering Congress will also be dealing with funding Hurricane Harvey aid and avoiding a government shutdown once it's back in session, its agenda is already packed - but hopefully, it will still prioritize the rights of those who are undocumented immigrants at no fault of their own.
