Federal judge orders DHS to restore DACA, open new applications

NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — A federal judge ordered The Department of Homeland Security to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which shields young people from deportation, and open to new applicants for the first time since 2017.

The order requires DHS to post a public notice by Monday that it will accept and begin making judgments for new DACA applications for those who qualify for the program, but not currently enrolled.

According to a letter in support of the order by the plaintiffs, over one million people could be impacted by the decision.

NewsNation has reached out to DHS for a statement on the order.

The same judge ruled last month that Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf assumed his position unlawfully, a determination that invalidated Wolf’s suspension of DACA.

Wolf issued a memorandum in July effectively suspending DACA, pending review by DHS. A month earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that President Donald Trump failed to follow rule-making procedures when he tried to end the program, but the justices kept a window open for him to try again.

About 650,000 people are currently part of DACA, which allows young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and shields them from deportation.