Dozens of protesters marched close to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Oct. 6 after a court ruling on Wednesday made the future of DACA uncertain.
DACA, an acronym for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a policy that protects around 800,000 young people — known as “DREAMers” — who entered the United States unlawfully as children. The program does not grant them official legal status or a pathway to citizenship, but it does allow them to apply for a driver’s license, social security number, and work permit.
A federal appeals court ruled that a program that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation was unlawful, but said current enrollees could renew their status and sent the case back to a lower court to consider a new Biden administration regulation.
A panel of three judges from the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling against the program, but remanded the case in light of a new regulation issued in August. The new rule aims to strengthen the program against legal challenges.
The decision is a mixed one for U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, who said he wants a permanent pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients – often known as “Dreamers.”
The court allowed for the current 594,000 DACA enrollees to maintain their status, but continues to block new applications.
By Reuters. (Production Marat Sadana)
