Washington D.C., Apr 25, 2018 / 17:02 pm
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday evening that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program must be re-opened to new applicants, and the following day the USCCB announced support for the "Uniting and Securing America (USA) Act of 2018," which would codify DACA into law.
DACA is an Obama-era federal program that protects people who were brought to the United States illegally as children from being deported and also provides for work permits. DACA recipients, who are commonly referred to as "Dreamers," must renew their DACA status each year.
President Donald Trump has sought to end DACA, saying that the initial program was only an executive order that went beyond the scope of presidential powers.
While other court decisions have ordered that the federal government begin to accept DACA renewals, the April 24 decision by Judge John Bates was different in that it re-opened the program for new applicants. Bates said that he did not believe the Trump administration provided a strong enough case for why the program should end.