On Tuesday, Jan. 9, a California federal judge temporarily blocked rollbacks of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which protects individuals who illegally entered the U.S. as minors from deportation, for a period of time.
The DACA program was rescinded under the Trump administration in September last year. From that point, the Department of Homeland Security stopped processing new applications for the program, according to a CNN report.
Congress was given a deadline of March 5, 2018 to reach a resolution on DACA. In the meantime, the 800,000 people who are protected under the program are ensured their ability to live and work in the U.S., according to CNN.
The ruling came the same day as Trump’s meeting with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, in which they discussed DACA and border protection. In his meeting Trump expressed willingness to discuss comprehensive immigration reform – that means taking an in-depth, multi-layered approach, according to Julia Acosta, director of the Office of Latino Affairs at Wright State.
The judge cited Trump’s own tweets in the ruling, in which he questioned whether or not it would be productive to block productive and educated people from the U.S., according to Acosta.
The judge’s ruling has a potential downside, according to ABC White House Correspondent Johnathan Karl. “Nothing forces Congress to act like a looming deadline,” he said. “With that deadline now temporarily at least in question, it may relieve some of the pressure on Congress to act now," he said in an appearance on 'Good Morning America'
President Trump has expressed frustration with the court’s ruling, calling the court system “broken and unfair.”
Although the court ruling could be overturned, there is now a window for people to once again apply for the DACA program once again, according to Acosta. “For however long that is, this is a win,” she said.
