The Trump administration has opted to end protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday.
Although Trump had been urged by hundreds of business, religious and political leaders to support the program, Sessions confirmed that the administration had decided to rescind the program.
“I am here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” Sessions said during a press briefing. “Such an open ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.”
Trump had been for months mulling a decision regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an Obama-era initiative that allowed undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to remain in the country. His decision will give Congress six months to find a solution.
So far, the DACA, or Dreamers, program has provided nearly 800,000 young immigrants the ability to work legally in the U.S. and a reprieve from deportation. No new applications for the program will be accepted after Tuesday.