A US judge on Wednesday ruled against a program offering deportation relief and work permits to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, known as "Dreamers," despite an attempt by President Joe Biden's administration to bolster the program's standing with a new regulation.
The decision by Texas-based US District Court Judge Andrew Hanen deals a fresh setback to the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and its 579,000 enrollees and other immigrants who might have hoped to be approved.
Hanen, a Republican-appointed judge, found that a regulation issued last year by Biden's administration did not remedy legal deficiencies that led him to find DACA unlawful in 2021 and block any expansion of the program, which has been in place for more than a decade.
The US Department of Homeland Security can continue to renew the status of those enrolled in DACA prior to Hanen's 2021 ruling, he said. Many DACA recipients speak English and have jobs, homes and families in the United States.
Hanen wrote that the order did not require US immigration authorities "to take any immigration, deportation, or criminal action against any DACA recipient, applicant, or any other individual that would otherwise not be taken."
The ruling, which came in response to a lawsuit brought by Texas and other states, is expected to be appealed.
The office of Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(REUTERS)
