Welcome to yet another episode of DACA drama.
On Tuesday, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision announced in September to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by early March 2018.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the administration must temporarily “maintain the DACA program on a nationwide basis” at least until lawsuits filed by California and other states play out in court.
In his ruling, which Trump wasted no time assailing, Alsup wrote that lawyers for the immigrants’ “have clearly demonstrated that they are likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm,” unless the court steps in with an injunction.
Introduced as an executive action by President Obama in June 2012, DACA was intended to give temporary protection against deportation to certain groups of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. DACA recipients can also obtain work permits and driver’s licenses, although the program offers no path to citizenship or permanent residency.
Since 2012, nearly 800,000 young people have received DACA status.
Critics call the Trump administration’s actions unjust, arguing that most DACA recipients have lived most of their lives in the U.S. and were brought here through no fault of their own. But proponents of the recent decision argue that Obama’s action was an abuse of executive power. Some also claim that at DACA recipients take jobs away from native-born Americans and drive up crime. This argument, however, has been generally refuted.
Scroll through this interactive timeline to see DACA’s tumultuous path since it took effect five years ago. Below that, listen to our recent interview with a UC Berkeley student and DACA recipient.
Clik here to view.
In 2003, at the age of 8, Dalia Nava and her mother and sister left their native Mexico and crossed illegally into the United States, settling in East Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, Dalia received DACA status. Today she is a senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in political science. KQED’s Stephanie Thatcher spoke with Dalia just days after the Trump administration announced plans to end the program.