A federal judge on Friday ordered the government to revive the DACA program as it existed before President Trump tried to phase it out in 2017, which means opening it up to brand new applications, as reported by they Washington Times.
U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm, based in Maryland, issued a decision restoring all parts of the DACA program back to where they were, which means not only protecting current recipients but also accepting new applications. It also renews an indirect pathway to citizenship, known as Advance Parole, which allows DACA recipients to gain green cards. Judge Grimm stated in the opinion:
The rescission of the DACA policy is vacated, and the policy is restored to its pre-September 5, 2017 status. Defendants and their agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and all persons in active concert or participation with any of them, are enjoined from implementing or enforcing the DACA rescission and from taking any other action to rescind DACA that is not in compliance with applicable law.
The recent Supreme Court ruling had maintained the deportation amnesty at the heart of DACA for more than 640,000 “Dreamers” already in the United States, but the Trump Admin had not been receiving any new applications. Needless to say, after the Supreme Court’s decision open border supporters and advocate groups rushed to begin submitting new petitions for DACA hopefuls.
As the Washington Times reports:
CASA, the Maryland-based immigrant-rights group that was the plaintiff in the case, said the new order means the administration will have to restart the indirect pathway to citizenship that the Obama administration allowed for DACA recipients, known as Advance Parole. DACA recipients who get permission to leave the country and return under advance parole can have their previous illegal status cleared as a bar to getting a green card, which is the key step on the path to citizenship.
Over the eight-year life of DACA, more than 800,000 people have been approved, and as of March 643,560 were still active. Others either failed to renew or, in many cases, gained a more permanent legal status — including some that used the Advance Parole option to gain a green card.
For the complete story, please visit the Washington Times.
