[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A U.S. court has ordered the complete restoration of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Donald Trump administration had sought to abolish.
DACA is a program introduced and implemented in 2012 during the Barack Obama administration that grants work permits and defers deportation for minors and young people residing illegally in the U.S. However, President Trump, who pursued a tough immigration policy, continuously pushed for the program's repeal.
According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 4th (local time), Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York stated, "The Trump administration must resume accepting DACA applications," and added, "The government must post a notice on its website and related agencies' websites within three days announcing that it is accepting DACA applications."
Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had blocked the Trump administration's efforts to abolish DACA in a ruling issued last June.
In response, in July, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf announced a measure limiting the DACA program to existing applicants only, but this ruling orders the restoration and implementation of the program as originally intended.
Additionally, although Acting Secretary Wolf announced a reduction in the work authorization period for undocumented immigrants under DACA from two years to one year, the court also ordered this to be restored to its original state.
Judge Garaufis explained, "Wolf was appointed without following proper procedures, and therefore, the announcements he made regarding the DACA program have no legal effect."
Foreign media reported that as a result, approximately 300,000 undocumented youth, known as 'dreamers,' now have the opportunity to newly apply for the DACA program.
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