Sessions: We're Ending 'Dreamers' Program

White House says it is phasing out DACA
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 5, 2017 10:12 AM CDT
Updated Sep 5, 2017 10:40 AM CDT
Sessions: We're Ending 'Dreamers' Program
Attorney General Jeff Sessions.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bad news for "dreamers." The White House is indeed phasing out a program that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought into the country illegally as kids, reports the AP. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the anticipated move Tuesday morning, per Reuters. Sessions called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program unconstitutional and said the federal government will no longer accept applications for DACA. However, the nation's approximately 800,000 "dreamers" won't be immediately affected as the program is wound down through March, and President Trump urged Congress to come up with a legislative alternative, reports the New York Times.

"Congress, get ready to do your job - DACA!" the president tweeted Tuesday morning. Sessions called the Obama program an “open-ended circumvention of immigration law through unconstitutional authority by the executive branch" and said it likely would have been rejected in the courts, reports the Washington Post. Trump had similarly denounced the program as "illegal" during the 2016 campaign, though he softened his language upon becoming president. Dreamers who currently hold permits can continue working in the US until their permits expire. Those whose permits expire by March 5, 2018—when the program was originally scheduled to end—can apply for a two-year renewal provided they do so by Oct. 5. (More immigration stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X