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US resumes accepting applications to renew DACA

A rally in Washington last month in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. (Photo via The New York Times)

The Trump administration says it would resume accepting renewal requests by young immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

“Until further notice, and unless otherwise provided in this guidance, the DACA policy will be operated on the terms in place before it was rescinded on Sept. 5, 2017,” the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Saturday.

“Individuals who were previously granted deferred action under DACA may request renewal by filing” the relevant forms, it said, but added that “USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferred action under DACA.”

The decision was made after a federal judge in San Francisco, California, issued a nationwide injunction on Tuesday, temporarily blocking President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out the Obama-era program.

Judge William Alsup said the immigration policy must remain in place, noting the US Department of Homeland Security's "decision to rescind DACA was based on a flawed legal premise."

On Wednesday, the White House called the judge’s decision "outrageous especially in light of the president's successful bipartisan meeting with House and Senate members at the White House on the same day."

Former President Barack Obama created the DACA program in 2012 to enable some young undocumented immigrants in the country to obtain two-year permits to stay legally, work and attend school.

Trump, however, described Obama’s actions as unconstitutional and an overreach of executive power.

Since it went into effect in 2012, roughly 800,000 young immigrants, commonly known Dreamers, were protected by the program, and roughly 700,000 had active DACA protections in September, when the Trump administration announced its end.


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