Donald trump’s administration moved on Monday to try and bypass the federal appellate court and file for the March 5 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program deadline to apply. Initially, Trump annulled former US President Barack Obama’s decision to protect over 800,000 DACA immigrants from deportation. Trump’s reasons were based on a legal challenge stating that Obama had no legal basis to form such a program because he exceeded his executive powers. Therefore, Trump put a halt on the program stating that March 5 will be the immigrants’ deadline subject to deportation.
Following Trump’s move, supporters of the DACA immigrants moved to court to put a halt on the March 5 deadline until the legality of Trump’s action to suspend the DACA program is also established. DACA supporters and the immigrants were relieved when the federal court mooted the March 5 deadline until the matter is resolved. Trump’s administration moved to the Supreme Court to try and bypass the appeal court process and have the deadline moot lifted before March 5.
Position of the DACA Program amid Court Proceedings
DACA is a program initiated by Barack Obama to protect immigrants who were illegally brought into the US by their parents. The young immigrants are being protected from deportation. After Trump’s decision to scrap the program in September 2017, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped processing DACA applications and renewals. It only resumed after the federal court ruled that the Trump’s deadline is rendered temporarily moot.
Efforts by the Democrats and Republicans to come to a solution at the Senate failed two weeks ago when the immigration proposal failed to pass. For any bill to go through the Senate, it has to have the backing of over 60 legislators by way of a vote. Both parties were optimistic that they would come to a consensus in not more than a week but the Senate is sidelined by new calls for gun control reforms following the Florida high school shooting. Progress on the immigration bill is now in question wondering whether there will be a consensus on the matter any time soon.
Supremes’ Court Decision
The US Supreme Court rejected the move for Trump’s administration to bypass the appeal courts in its presentation against the DACA case that has rendered their March 5 deadline temporarily moot. The court’s announcement on Monday means that the case will have to work its way through the lower courts before being heard at the Supreme Court.
DACA supporters hailed the decision even though it is temporary. Trump acknowledged that the case will be heard by the appeal court and that they would see what happens from there.
