All new applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will be rejected under a new memo issued Tuesday by Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
“I direct DHS personnel to take all appropriate actions to reject all pending and future initial requests for DACA, to reject all pending and future applications for advance parole absent exceptional circumstances, and to shorten DACA renewals consistent with the parameters established in this memorandum,” Wolf wrote.
Advanced parole refers to applications that allow an immigrant to travel outside the United States and return lawfully.
DACA is a highly controversial program that shields hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from deportation. It was created through executive order by then-President Barack Obama in 2012.
All renewal applications for DACA recipients already shielded by the program will be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. Approvals will only be good for one year, instead of the previous two-year period.
The new rules are in place while the Trump administration conducts a comprehensive review of the program and its legality, a senior administration official told reporters on a call before the memo was released.
DACA “presents serious policy concerns that may warrant its full rescission” but fully rescinding the policy “would be a significant administration decision that warrants additional careful consideration,” according to Wolf.
The Supreme Court on June 18 blocked Republican President Donald Trump’s bid to end the program implemented by his Democrat predecessor. Justices said Trump could legally end the program but claimed his administration did not provide proper justification for doing so.
A federal court in Maryland on July 17 ordered the Trump administration to accept new applications for DACA.
Wolf’s new memo is an intervening act that gives legal justification to not obey the court order, the senior administration official said.
Officials expect legal challenges to the memo but for now will act under its purview.
Trump after the Supreme Court ruling directed the Department of Homeland Security to revise its guidelines for DACA, with the aim of forcing Congress to enact a lasting solution.
The administration’s review will be substantive, according to the senior administration official. It will take time. Officials don’t know how long it will take. When the review is done, the administration will decide whether to keep the program in place or wind it down.
In the meantime, the new rules are in place for the program.
From The Epoch Times
