It’s official: President Donald Trump has made the decision to end the DACA program, is the Obama-era initiative that protects hundreds of thousands of people who entered the United States of America illegally as children. According to the Trump administration, there will be a six-month delay intended to allow Congress to act.
It was Jeff Sessions, the Attorney General, who announced the Trump administration decision on Tuesday, September 5. In the press conference, Sessions made the point of arguing that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was an unlawful overreach by former president Barack Obama. Further, Sessions said that he could not defend it.
The Trump administration’s decision has set up a potential rush for lawmakers to pass a bill protecting the “dreamers” before the deadline. As of right now, it is unclear as to whether the GOP-held Congress can do so in the near future. Why? Because it faces numerous crucial deadlines to approve legislation.
To no surprise, public opposition to abolish the program has increased recently amongst protests around the country. In fact, there have been numerous Republican lawmakers — including House Speaker Paul Ryan — and technology sector leaders that have urged Trump not to scrap the DACA program.
However, allies of Trump, such as Jeff Sessions, have pushed the president to end the program, stating that it will be difficult to defend in court. As for the public, some disagree with Trump’s decision, while others have said that Obama exceeded his authority with the policy.
“Simply put, if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and rule of law in America the Department of Justice cannot defend this overreach,” Sessions said on Tuesday.
For those who don’t know, abolishing the DACA program, which started in 2012, has the potential to affect approximately 800,000 young people registered under the program. The immigrants are given a two-year period of protection from deportation as well as a permit to work in the United States.
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