On Saturday, the federal government announced that renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program were being accepted once again. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a statement, which said that the program, rescinded by President Donald Trump in September, will operate on the existing terms until further notice.
The decision followed last Tuesday’s ruling, by a Californian federal judge, to pass a nationwide injunction that forced the Trump administration to resume the program. USCIS announced that people accepted into the deferred action program can now request a renewal, providing that their original acceptance had expired on, or later than, 5 September 2016.
Immigrants accepted into the DACA program but whose acceptance expired before that date are currently not able to renew it, but are eligible to put in a new request. According to USCIS, instructions apply to any immigrants who have seen their deferred action terminated. But, officials say that new requests from people who have never been accepted into the deferred action program will not be taken.
The deferred action program was created by President Barack Obama in 2012, via executive order. In September, President Trump accused the program of being unconstitutional and attempted to end it, resulting in critics suing the administration. Republicans and Democrats continue to argue over attempts to create lasting legislation to protect the 800,000 young immigrants estimated to be part of the program.