September 5, 2017 – President Trump today ordered the end a federal program intended to help young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children (known as “Dreamers”). The program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or “DACA”, was created by President Obama in 2012 through executive action and currently applies to 800,000 individuals. President Trump, who campaigned for election arguing for tough policies on undocumented immigrants, today canceled the program. This news comes despite President Trump’s 2017 statements to the public that he would show “great heart” in his decision, and that Dreamers could “rest easy.”

The program will end on March 5, 2018. Existing beneficiaries can renew their work permits before October 5, 2017. However, no new applicants for initial designation will be accepted as of September 5, 2017. In statements today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued that the 6-month delay between today’s announcement and the end of the DACA program gives Congress time to pass legislation to help Dreamers. Congress, however, has failed to adopt such legislation in the past and any new immigration legislation is expected to face a difficult road forward on Capitol Hill.