Supreme Court to tackle Trump policy on DACA
Fate of 700,000 "dreamers" at stake
(WASHINGTON, D.C. - KYMA) On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will once again review the Trump administration's policy for dealing with the hundreds of thousands of children brought into the country illegally by their parents.
The High Court is scheduled to hear arguments on three separate cases all asking whether the Trump administration acted properly when it decided to rollback the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
President Barack Obama announced DACA in 2012 after Congress and the White House failed to come up with a comprehensive plan for immigration reform. The program protects young immigrants from deportation by allowing them to work legally in the U.S. as long as they obey both the program's rules and the country's laws.
In 2017, the Trump administration announced it was rescinding DACA. It, and Republicans, wanted more sweeping immigration reform, and they wanted more funding for a border wall. Democrats managed to pass another round of protections for dreamers, but they couldn't protect the policy.
The announcement was almost immediately met by lawsuits. Three of which will be examined by the Supreme Court Tuesday.
The Trump Administration claims Obama abused his executive power by enacting DACA. It argues, since the program was created by executive authority, it can be dismantled by executive authority. However, lawsuits claim Trump's decision to end the program was not only arbitrary, but unlawful.
Lower court rulings put the DACA rollback on hold, but legal experts say there's no guarantee the high court justices will see things the same way.
However, even if SCOTUS does uphold the Trump policy, it doesn't mean deportations will begin right away. The administration's plan includes a six-month phase-out. The High Court isn't expected to rule on the issue until July. That means DACA wouldn't be fully rescinded until January of 2021. By then it's possible the U.S. could have a new president who could come up with a policy of his or her own.
