DES MOINES, Iowa — Attorney General Tom Miller on Wednesday joined 15 other attorneys general in filing a federal lawsuit against President Trump’s decision to rescind protections for undocumented immigrants protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.

The program, instituted by an executive order by President Barack Obama, protects thousands of immigrants from deportation. To be eligible for the protection an immigrant must have been brought to the US when they were 16 or younger and lived here before 2007.

On Tuesday the Trump administration announced the program would end in six months and challenged Congress to take action to address those covered under the program, known as “Dreamers.”

“DACA has protected hundreds of thousands of young people, including nearly 2,800 here in Iowa, who arrived illegally as children, grew up following the rules, and are very much a part of our fabric,” Attorney General Tom Miller said in a statement Wednesday, “Our lawsuit alleges the Trump administration’s action to dismantle DACA violates peoples’ due process, denies them equal protection under our constitution, and causes ‘immediate harm’ to those whom DACA is intended to protect.”

In the last five years the US government has approved protection from deportation under DACA for more than 800,000 immigrants.</s>WASHINGTON — President Trump on Tuesday ordered an end to the Obama-era program that shields young undocumented immigrants from deportation, calling it an “amnesty-first approach” and urging Congress to pass a replacement before he begins phasing out its protections in six months.

As early as March, officials said, some of the 800,000 young adults brought to the United States illegally as children who qualify for the program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, will become eligible for deportation. The five-year-old policy allows them to remain without fear of immediate removal from the country and gives them the right to work legally.

Mr. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who announced the change at the Justice Department, both used the aggrieved language of anti-immigrant activists, arguing that those in the country illegally are lawbreakers who hurt native-born Americans by usurping their jobs and pushing down wages.

Mr. Trump said in a statement that he was driven by a concern for “the millions of Americans victimized by this unfair system.” Mr. Sessions said the program had “denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same illegal aliens to take those jobs.”</s>President Donald Trump on Tuesday began dismantling the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children.

The program was created by the Obama administration in 2012.

Tuesday's announcement triggered a host of rallies across the Bay Area. In addition, many politicians and officials are reacting to Trump's decision to end the DACA program.

Here's what they are saying:

Read more on Obama's reaction to Trump's DACA decision.

President Trump’s decision to end DACA is a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America. Deporting DREAMers means destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of patriotic young people, costing the economy billions and betraying the fundamental values of the American Dream.

The President’s cruel and heartless decision to start deporting DREAMers in six months demands an immediate response from the Republican Congress. Speaker Ryan and the Republican House leadership must bring the DREAM Act to the floor for a vote without delay.

DACA recipients make our nation strong and represent the best of America. The President's decision undermines our nation’s values and is a cruel betrayal to the more than 800,000 young people, including more than 200,000 Californians, who have only ever known the United States of America as their home.

Dreamers are Americans in every way except a piece of paper. With this decision, President Trump is telling classmates of our children they don't belong, employees of Fortune 100 companies they aren't welcome, and saying to those who serve in our military and run small businesses that they should leave. These young people deserve better than that. They came out of the shadows and submitted every detail of their personal lives to prove that they were lawful, productive members of our society. By turning his back on our young Dreamers and their families, President Trump has once again sided with division and hate.

The consequences of this decision will be devastating. It will split up families, force young people back to countries they never knew, and cost our economy billions of dollars. It is heartless.

Now more than ever, it is time we roll up our sleeves and stand with these young people who contribute to our community and our economy. Republicans in Congress must immediately allow a vote on the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill we introduced again this summer. We are better than this.

The United States of America is, has been, and will always be a nation of immigrants. As such, our immigration policies should be focused on keeping families together, not tearing them apart.

Undocumented students who were brought to the U.S. through no fault of their own are working, going to school, living their lives, and contributing billions to the American economy. For five years, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has allowed these innocent young adults to remain united with their families and safely reside in their communities.

Ending DACA in order to deport its nearly 800,000 recipients is cruel and heartless. Instead of devastating families, President Trump and Republicans should be working toward comprehensive immigration reform to permanently fix our broken immigration system.

Since President Trump has abandoned these young people, Congress must have the courage to do the right thing. I call on my colleagues to pass bipartisan legislation that will give qualified DACA recipients a path to citizenship and move to stop the raids by ICE and CBP in our communities, which undermine public safety and erode trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities.

When President Obama established DACA in 2012, the program created a ray of hope for those who were brought to the United States as young children and they are Americans in every way except on paper. President Trump's decision today to terminate this program diminishes that hope for the bright young DREAMers who now call America home.

Over 787,000 individuals have received relief from deportation under the DACA program, allowing them to obtain work permits, pursue higher education, obtain driver’s licenses, and contribute their talents to our nation. These children put their faith in our government when they chose to come out of the shadows and I will fight with all that I have to ensure Congress passes legislation to overrule the President's irresponsible action and ensure that these children can remain in the only country they have ever known.

President Trump’s cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program creates a moral emergency for our nation. Some 800,000 DACA recipients brought to the United States as children are today vital members of our communities and economy. They are as American as any of us – except for paperwork. President Trump’s decision to turn his back on them betrays our national character.

The threat of court proceedings is an inadequate excuse. President Trump has never been reluctant to go to court when he thinks it would benefit him. In this instance, over 100 law professors recently affirmed that “the legal authority for the Executive Branch to operate DACA…is crystal clear.

The impetus for the President’s action seems just as clear: an extremist, racist agenda. Seventy-eight percent of Americans oppose the deportation of such young people. However, groups tied to the white nationalist movement have long sought DACA’s destruction. Once again, President Trump seems to bend to the will of extremists rather than mainstream Americans, just as he did while condoning white supremacists in Charlottesville.

Congress must stop this mass deportation of innocent young people. Democratic lawmakers already stand united in our support for DACA recipients, as we do in rejecting attempts to use them as props in broader anti-immigrant legislation. The Dream Act of 2017 (H.R. 3440), which I proudly co-sponsored, would grant them the legal status and path to citizenship that they deserve. The only question is whether Republicans will join the right side of history.

The moral stakes could not be higher. The fate of some 800,000 of our nation’s young people who will forever consider America home hangs in the balance.

The Attorney General's announcement of the Trump Administration's rescission of DACA abandons 800,000 of America's hardest-working, most patriotic residents. Punting the issue to Congress, without any affirmative leadership to enact a legislative solution, amounts to a cowardly cop-out, placing the futures of these young women and men in serious jeopardy.

To San Jose's tens of thousands of DREAMers, we reiterate: ‘We've got your back.’ I will seek to challenge the Administration's actions in court, after consulting with our Council and City Attorney regarding our options in the week ahead.

History will not forgive Donald Trump for abandoning our DREAMers.

Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will be eliminated, creating the very real possibility that as many as 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children may be returned to countries that they have never known. By ending this program the administration continues to drive our nation’s immigrant population further into the shadows. This has the effect of undermining cooperation with law enforcement, cooperation that often leads to the apprehension and prosecution of violent offenders - the true danger to law and order.

While job growth is slowing, health care costs are soaring, and as new threats emerge from around the globe, this action epitomizes the misplaced priorities of an administration unable to advance any meaningful public policy. This is yet another deeply troubling indication that Donald Trump's playbook has only one move: Pedal hate and absurd policies that appease America's fringe right wing white nationalists.

The administration's move puts the fate of these DREAMers in Congress' hands. While Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions continue to propagate the politics of fear, Congress has the opportunity to show the world, and the xenophobes among us, what America truly stands for.

President Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was not only heartless, it was cowardly. This president just cut short the future of 800,000 children, but he is trying to shift the blame to Congress. Children should not be used as political pawns by a president who doesn’t even have the guts to go before the American people and announce this decision himself. Deporting children who have known no other home than America makes no sense. This president has just put the next generation of young American leaders in peril.

The hypocrisy of this administration is also galling. Attorney General Jeff Sessions claims DACA was an attempt to circumvent Congress, yet that is exactly what this administration is doing with the president’s executive order on sanctuary cities and their attempt to unlawfully add new conditions to law enforcement grants. Once again, this administration is showing its contempt for the facts and the law.

I am angered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement today about rescinding DACA, and am fully committed to stand with the thousands of undocumented immigrants in our city, and in particular today with those who are participants in the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals Program.

While I still hope for comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship, the DACA program is a critical step for young people who arrived as children in the United States, to come out of the shadows and participate fully in economic and educational opportunities. We as a society have also benefited from these young people who have joined our work force and are working toward higher education.

As a country we should be expanding programs like this rather than threatening to shut them down. And as a city, we need to come together and strongly denounce these attacks on our immigrant communities.

President Trump is once again demonstrating that he is unfit to hold office,” said Senator Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) who serves as Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. “The Latino Caucus condemns the decision by the President to eliminate DACA. This move is a dishonorable, cowardly, and malicious betrayal for the 800,000 Dreamers across our great nation. This is particularly egregious when one considers that the people being betrayed are children who have studied hard and done everything that was asked of them by our country and its leaders.”

President Trump’s decision is hateful, inhumane and will have a devastating impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent, hard-working people,” added Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, the Caucus’ Vice Chair (D- San Diego). “It will also be terrible for our economy, costing this nation untold billions in economic output. His decision is indefensible as a matter of policy and a betrayal of our nation’s values.”

Polls have consistently shown that DACA enjoys overwhelming support across the nation. The President’s disgraceful action comes days after he pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of criminal contempt for flagrantly violating the constitutional rights of Latinos.

California will continue to stand with immigrants, especially immigrant children,” said Hueso, “We will do everything in our power to ensure they are treated fairly and with dignity in this great state.

The American Muslim community and CAIR stand with the 800,000 undocumented young people who were brought to our nation as children, who call the United States home and whose only dream is to come out of the shadows and to stay where they belong.

"By terminating DACA, even with a six-month delay or 'wind down,' President Trump is pandering to the demands of anti-immigrant extremists and harming our nation by targeting some of the most dynamic and success-oriented members of society. In practical terms, the 'delay' in implementing the termination is meaningless for the vast majority of Dreamers and will inevitably result in chaos in their lives.

These young Dreamers deserve the chance to work and study -- and to be protected from deportation -- while Congress debates broader legislation to fix our broken immigration system.

President Trump's heartless action will only serve to create fear and anxiety for the Dreamers and their loved ones, and will force them back to living in the shadows, rendering them unable to contribute to our nation's economy.

CAIR encourages state and local officials across the nation to enact policies prohibiting discrimination based on citizenship status and to offer sanctuary and support for Dreamers.

American Muslims will continue to push for measures that protect undocumented youth and support comprehensive immigration reform - reform that includes a roadmap to citizenship for the nation's 11 million undocumented residents.

The Trump Administration has once again shown that they lack compassion and an understanding of the needs of the American people by now targeting 800,000 young men and women, who know no other home than the United States. These DACA recipients are bravely pursuing the right to go to school, work and fulfill their American dream.

We urge Republicans in Congress to stand up for these hardworking Dreamers. You have an opportunity to deliver a policy that upholds American values of hard work and determination and not allow hate or fear to guide decisions and law.

To the Dreamers who have boldly fought for their place in this country: we continue to stand in solidarity with you and we will fight every step of the way to protect your right to live and work in this nation with dignity and respect.

The revocation of DACA is a colossal breach in our nation’s progress towards a more equitable and inclusive society. It’s an injustice not only to our fellow community members with DACA status, but to all Californians and for that matter, all Americans. Ending the DACA program threatens the health and well-being of our neighborhoods, our families and our very humanity. Our economy stands to take a significant hit to the tune of billions of dollars, and the very fabric of our democracy is forever scarred.

This year, amidst great strife, we've seen the people of California rise up again and again to fight racism, hatred, and fear. It is more important now than ever to #RiseUpAsOne, and I know our communities won't stand down to this latest challenge. We reaffirm the fight to protect DREAMers, DACA recipients, and the entire immigrant community. We will continue to share their stories, share their battles, and stand up for what is right.

The California Endowment stands in solidarity with all of our friends, neighbors, and staff – no matter where they come from – in an unwavering commitment to justice and health for all.

President Trump’s decision to terminate the DACA program is a cruel, broken promise that will harm hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought here as children and have lived as Americans for their entire lives. When Trump promised to spare DREAMers from his unforgiving deportation plans, he was, yet again, blowing hot air. This is not just another broken Donald Trump promise, it’s a violation of the core values that America and our communities are built on.

These DREAMers have grown up in America: they’ve studied at our schools, enrolled in our universities, served in our military, and contribute every day to our economy and our society. Now President Trump — who pardoned Joe Arpaio for unforgivable racial profiling and violating a judge’s order — believes that these young people ought to be deported, or that they should stop working and instead disappear into the shadows.

Congress must now act to give the DREAMers a chance to earn their way to citizenship and stay in the country that they call home. This is a test for the leadership of the House and Senate: will we just hear empty expressions of concern, or will they actually take a stand and work with us to immediately bring the American Hope Act of 2017 to a vote, to protect these deserving young people from Donald Trump and set them on a path to earned citizenship. Congress needs to act now to fix our broken immigration system.

Every community around the country will feel the effect of Donald Trump’s reckless DACA reversal. In my own district, I have met with young DREAMers who are upstanding members of the community, including children whose parents are already facing deportation orders. I will continue to do everything in my power to defend these families from Donald Trump’s cowardly, destructive, and un-American decision to end the DACA program.

The President has rescinded an unconstitutional executive order from the prior administration that he had committed to reverse during the campaign. Now the real work must begin.

It is imperative that Congress pass a lasting legislative solution that will ensure that 800,000 young people, who have done nothing wrong, can continue to pursue their educations, careers and contributions to our great nation. This will only happen with bipartisan leadership from Congress and the President. Both Republicans and Democrats must come together to develop the immigration reforms that have sadly never materialized under presidential administrations and legislative majorities of both parties. Delay and inaction are no longer options.

As I previously have observed, ensuring access to a quality education is neither a partisan nor political issue; it is our mission. Since its adoption in 2012, DACA has provided stability and opportunity to many students and some of the faculty and staff members who serve them. Every one of these individuals is intrinsic to the fabric of our uniquely diverse community. Viewed through this lens, today’s news is deeply disappointing.



The President's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will have a profound and devastating effect on many of our students, and their families, and their friends. Even if Congress does act to protect DACA in the coming months, the President’s action has caused pain and anguish in our community and across our nation.

We want our community to know that we support the right of all students to attend school, and we do not record the immigration status of our students and families. We will continue to work with our community partners, such as the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, the East Bay Community Law Center, and the Centro Legal de La Raza to support our undocumented students and families.

We stand with our immigrant families; they are valued members of our community, and we will protect and support them in any way that we can.

To our Dreamers: You are fighters, you are resilient. We stand with you and for you in this struggle. The vast majority of Californians and Americans stand with you: They see you serving bravely in our military, pursuing your education in hopes of a better life, working hard, creating small businesses, paying taxes, and helping every day to make our nation stronger. We stand united in this fight because this cause is bigger than you alone. We will win because your American Dream is the same as that of all the people born in this country. Our shared principles of freedom, fairness and opportunity are much bigger than the narrow-minded and short-sighted claims of this Republican administration. Our country is bigger – and better – than Trump.

To those who aren’t sure if DACA is a good idea: The 800,000 DACA recipients make a positive contribution to America’s economy, as do the more than 220,000 who live, work and study in California grow our state’s prosperity. Alameda County has 17,000 DACA-eligible residents.

By some estimates, an average of 30,000 workers could lose their jobs every month once DACA provisions are eliminated. The loss of those workers could cost $460.3 billion in national economic output over the next decade. Medicare and Social Security contributions could fall by $24.6 billion. Canceling DACA will affect all of us – especially “documented” Baby Boomers and retirees. Nobody is immune from the impacts of this short-sighted action. DACA is not just “their” fight, it’s everybody’s responsibility.

Now that President Trump has rescinded the DACA executive order, we must demand that Congress and the Senate pass legislation that guarantees protections for Dreamers – and prosperity for all of us. There are already legislative options on the table, including the DREAM Act of 2017, the Bridge Act or the American Hope Act. We will be mobilizing public support in legislative chambers and in the streets for new protections, and I will be introducing an Oakland City Council resolution asking Congress to defend our Dreamers.

The Trump Administration’s move to end DACA is bad for America in every possible way. There are 800,000 youth in the United States who have benefited from this progressive immigration policy. But now they live in fear of being deported because their parents sought better lives for their children here in the United States. We must keep the dreams of Dreamers alive by standing in solidarity with them,” Supervisor Canepa said.

DACA allowed young immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, work permits and deferred their deportation as long as certain requirements were met. With DACA, young immigrants have been able to pursue higher education and personal career goals.

As educators in San Mateo County, our mission is to serve all children and youth and provide for their provide for their education and well-being. This mission has been undermined by President Trump’s action to end DACA. In spite of this, we will persist for the benefit and well-being of all students regardless of their background or immigration status.

Let’s remember that San Mateo County is the heart of Silicon Valley, the birthplace of innovation and possibility. We welcome immigrant students seeking to better themselves, their families, and our larger community. We celebrate their diversity and the manner that it enriches us all.

Diversity and inclusion make us a stronger and more just society. Children should not live in fear of deportation. These children are in our country, for many of them the only home that they have only ever known, through no fault of their own. They should have the same opportunity to live lives of hope and promise in this country of immigrants.

These values are reflected in the functions of the County Office of Education, which include providing leadership in equity and innovation, and ensuring that all of our students have a strong education and the promise of a bright future.

As County Superintendent of Schools, I will act to protect students in keeping with County Office of Education’s mission of “Equity and Excellence in Education,” to engage with all of the diverse communities of San Mateo County, and to stay true to our greater calling and purpose as educators and Americans.

Telemundo stands with the 800,000 Dreamers who are integral to the economy, culture and spirit of our nation. We are disheartened by the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In addition to the human impact of this decision, repealing DACA will result in the loss of thousands of jobs in the United States and billions of dollars in economic growth over the next decade. We urge Congress to act swiftly to preserve the rights of these valuable members of our community. All of our elected representatives should be held accountable toward this end.</s>President Donald Trump has decided to scrap a program giving work permits to people who came to

the United States illegally as children but gives Congress up to six months to find a legislative alternative.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program is an Obama-era program which protects nearly 800,000 young men and women, often called “Dreamers” from deportation.

The decision, to be announced on Tuesday, will seek to placate both sides in the immigration debate at a time when the president is also grappling with North Korea’s nuclear program and Houston’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey.</s>PHOENIX (AP) - The program that protects young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas has been rescinded. But many questions remain about what will happen to the program’s beneficiaries.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the program, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, will end in six months to give Congress time to find a legislative solution for the immigrants.

Here’s a look at the program and what happens next for the nearly 800,000 people in it who are allowed to work in the U.S. and receive protection from deportation.

DACA was created by President Barack Obama in 2012 after intense pressure from immigrant advocates who wanted protections for the young immigrants who were mostly raised in the U.S. but lacked legal status.

The program protects them from deportation - granting them a two-year reprieve that can be extended and by issuing them a work permit and a social security number.

DACA recipients must have no criminal record, proof they were brought to the U.S. before age 16 and be under 31 when the program was launched but at least 15 years old when applying.

The application cost is nearly $500 and permits must be renewed every two years. The application and renewal process take several weeks.

DACA does not give beneficiaries legal U.S. residency. Recipients get temporary reprieves from deportation and permission to temporarily work.

Frustration grew during the Obama administration over repeated failures to pass the “Dream Act,” which would have provided a path to legal U.S. citizenship for the young immigrants who ended up becoming DACA beneficiaries and became known as “dreamers.”

The last major attempt to pass the legislation was in 2011.

Immigrant activists staged protests and participated in civil disobedience in an effort to push Obama to act after Congress did not pass legislation. DACA is different than the Dream Act because it does not provide a pathway to legal residency or citizenship.

President Donald Trump was under pressure from several states that threatened to sue his administration if it did not end DACA.

They argued the order Obama issued creating the program was unconstitutional and that Congress should take charge of legislation dealing the issue.

Immigrant advocates, business leaders including the chief executives of Apple and Microsoft, clergy and many others put intense pressure on Trump to maintain the program but he decided to end it.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Young immigrants already enrolled in DACA remain covered until their permits expire.

If their permits expire before March, 5, 2018, they are eligible to renew them for another two years as long as they apply by Oct. 5.

If their permits expire beyond that March date, they will not be able to renew and could be subject to deportation when their permits expire.

People who miss the October deadline will be disqualified from renewing their permission to remain in the country and could face deportation, although the Trump administration has said it will not actively provide their information to immigration authorities.

It will be up to Congress to take up and pass legislation helping DACA beneficiaries. One bill introduced this year would provide a path to legal permanent residency.

Many DACA beneficiaries say they worry they will be forced to take lower-wage, under-the-table jobs and will be unable to pay for college or assist their families financially.</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday began dismantling the government program protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared the Obama administration’s program “an unconstitutional exercise of authority” that must be revoked.

New applications will be halted for President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, which has provided nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the US in the form of two-year, renewable work permits.

“I’m here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” Sessions announced.

But the administration is giving Congress six months to come up with a legislative fix – “should it choose to,” Sessions said – before the government stops renewing permits for people already covered by the program.

According to Department of Homeland Security officials, people with permits whose renewals are set to expire between now and March 5, 2018, will be able to re-apply – so long as their applications are submitted by Oct. 5, 2017, one month from Tuesday.

Trump had suggested in an earlier tweet that it would be up to Congress to ultimately decide the fate of the young immigrants, dubbed “Dreamers” in a reference to an earlier legislative effort. He tweeted, “Congress, get ready to do your job – DACA!”

“Make no mistake, we are going to put the interest of AMERICAN CITIZENS FIRST!” Trump added in a second, retweeted message. “The forgotten men & women will no longer be forgotten.”

Sessions’ announcement came the same day as a deadline set by a group of Republican state officials who said they would challenge DACA in court unless the Trump administration rescinded the program. Administration officials argued the program might not hold up in court – and said that allowing the lawsuit to proceed would throw the program into chaos.

Trump has spent months wrestling with what to do with DACA, which he slammed during his campaign as illegal “amnesty.” Many of his closest advisers, including Sessions, policy adviser Stephen Miller, and former chief strategist Steve Bannon argue that the program is unconstitutional and have urged Trump to follow through on his campaign promise to end it.

But Trump has repeatedly expressed sympathy for the young people protected by the program, describing the decision as one of the most difficult he’s had to grapple with as president.

“I think the Dreamers are terrific,” Trump said last week, using a term popularized by supporters of the program, which was created in 2012 as a stopgap as the Obama administration pushed unsuccessfully for a broader immigration overhaul in Congress.

All the while, his administration has continued to issue new permits and extensions to immigrants who qualify.

But his approach – essentially kicking the can down the road and letting Congress deal with it– is fraught with uncertainty and political perils for his own party. Trump’s decision to take a harder line on young immigrants unless Congress intervenes threatens to emphasize deep divisions among Republicans who have long struggled with the issue.

The Obama administration created the DACA program in 2012 as a stopgap as it pushed unsuccessfully for a broader immigration overhaul in Congress,

House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement he hoped the “House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country.”

“Congress writes laws, not the president, and ending this program fulfills a promise that President Trump made to restore the proper role of the executive and legislative branches. But now there is more to do, and the president has called on Congress to act,” he said.

But Congress has repeatedly tried – and failed – to come together on immigration overhaul legislation, and it remains uncertain whether the House would succeed in passing anything on the divisive topic.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called Trump’s decision “a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America.”

“The president’s cruel and heartless decision to start deporting DREAMers in six months demands an immediate response from the Republican Congress,” she added, calling on Ryan and other Republican leaders to bring legislation to protect the young immigrants to a vote.

One bill addressing the issue that has received the most attention, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would grant permanent legal status to more than 1 million young people who arrived in the United States before they turned 18, passed security checks and met other criteria, including enrolling in college, joining the military or finding jobs.

It’s unclear, however, whether the president would support that or any other existing legislation. He could encourage the writing of a new bill – tied, perhaps, to funding for his promised border wall or other concessions like a reduction in legal immigration levels.

But it’s unclear how much political capital the president would want to put on the line given his base’s strong opposition to illegal immigration, his campaign rhetoric blasting DACA as illegal “amnesty” and his reluctance to campaign hard for other priorities, like health care overhaul.

Trump’s expected move has sparked protests, phone banks, letter-writing campaigns and other efforts across the country urging him not to act.</s>"I love these kids," Donald Trump gushed not long ago about the young undocumented immigrants known as "Dreamers." And yet the U.S. president had a curious way of showing his affection on Tuesday, ending the program that allows 800,000 people brought to the U.S. as children to stay in the country, and forcing Congress to devise a quick fix.

In six months, the government will stop renewing protections under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The Obama-era DACA permits shielded people brought in illegally as minors from deportation.

It gave hope to the Dreamers, named after the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) that proposed a pathway to citizenship for younger immigrants. The DREAM Act was the unsuccessful legal proposal that preceded DACA, a stopgap policy.
• AS IT HAPPENS | A 'Dreamer' nightmare

Once DACA is withdrawn, though, immigration policy analysts say it doesn't appear any permanent legislative solution will replace it — at least not given such a tight deadline, a fractured Republican caucus, crammed legislative agenda and a deep intra-party divisions over immigration policy.

Trump has shifted the decision-making, and potentially the blame for killing DACA, to the legislative branch:

Trump himself seemed to express little faith in a legislative solution, writing in a follow-up tweet on Tuesday night that if Congress stumbles, "I will revisit this issue." Critics said that remark undermined his argument for rescinding DACA in the first place.

"Congress has tried but failed to enact a legislative solution for DACA recipients for over a decade," noted Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University. "Nothing has changed politically … except that now, Congress is under a six-month gun to try to enact something."

Dysfunction in the Republican-dominated Congress, as shown through failure to repeal the health-care law, potentially spells trouble for a resuscitated DREAM Act.

"I don't think the Republicans can coalesce around any one policy," said immigration lawyer Leon Fresco, a former Obama administration official in the Justice Department.

Never mind bipartisanship, he said. What could prove complicated enough is uniting three Republican blocs: Republicans willing to pass a DREAM Act in exchange for added enforcement measures such as Trump's border wall, moderates willing to vote for a DREAM Act without any concessions, and ultraconservatives against granting any legal status at all.

"If those three factions can't make up their mind, there's nobody the Democrats can even negotiate with," Fresco said. "It's very concerning. [Speaker of the House] Paul Ryan understood that, which is why he asked for DACA not to be eliminated."

Far fewer Democrats are in Congress today than in 2010, when the DREAM Act collapsed in the Senate by five votes.

After that failure, President Barack Obama asserted his executive authority to introduce DACA as a temporary stopgap. Enrollees who met specific criteria — meaning they came to America before age 16, resided continuously in the U.S. since 2007 and passed criminal background checks — could acquire legal status for a renewable two-year term.

Lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle have expressed sympathy for DACA protectees, reasoning there's no sense in punishing people who broke the law through no fault of their own because they were brought to America as minors.

Senior Republicans, including Ryan, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and senators Jeff Flake and John McCain of Arizona defended the program as an institutional compromise. Trump's Chief of Staff John Kelly also wants to preserve its principles.

For his part, Trump claimed Tuesday that revoking DACA caused him personal anguish, saying he has a "great heart" for those impacted by his decision. Even so, he sided with immigration hardliners in his voter base after 10 state attorneys general threatened to sue, arguing the program was unconstitutional when Obama enacted it in 2012.

While there remains a chance that Congress could pass a DREAM Act, the small window of time to devise a solution makes it all the more difficult, said Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a Washington think-tank.

"The odds of getting there in the next six months is pretty small," he said. "Speaker Ryan has a very complicated conference he has to keep together."

Congress already has a packed agenda. Must-pass items this month include a new spending bill, funding for Hurricane Harvey relief and raising the debt ceiling before Republicans can take on the monumental task of tax reform. Now Trump has added a high-stakes immigration push on a tight timeline to the to-do list, which could postpone other priorities.

Most Americans like DACA, according to a new Morning Consult poll. More than three-quarters of registered voters (76 per cent) favour the policy. What's more, 69 per cent of Republicans agree that the most employed and law-abiding DACA recipients should be given a pathway to citizenship or at least legal residency.

Nowrasteh suspects that a "straight DREAM Act" bill without concessions would likely pass in the House and the Senate. But he also says there's virtually zero chance Republicans would roll over on granting permanent legal status to Dreamers without attaching something they want.

For example, Republicans have indicated they will use DACA as leverage for provisions such as money for the wall, passage of Trump's proposed RAISE Act (Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy) to put immigration into a merits-based framework, or possibly mandate more E-Verify usage for employers to check on workers' legal authorization.

"You combine DACA with E-Verify or a border wall or the RAISE Act, and most Democrats will leave," he said.

Nowrasteh said hardliner Republicans demanding such measures would be unlikely anyway to support what they consider to be illegal amnesty. That means for Republicans, he said, "adding these sweeteners actually makes the whole bill more bitter."

It's a "split the baby" scenario, says Republican strategist Evan Siegfried, with Democrats needing to decide what provisions they would consider in order to preserve DACA.

"When push comes to shove, will they vote for it if the RAISE Act is attached?"

An immigration battle over DACA "is clearly the big political fight of the moment," said Mae Ngai, author of Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America.

"The danger is that Republicans will exact a high price for that in terms of other immigration measures."

Any DREAM Act legislation is almost guaranteed to be coupled with immigration provisions Democrats would find objectionable, but also necessary to offset "the serious ramifications that would come with amnesty," says Art Arthur, an immigration hardliner with the Center for Immigration Studies, a think-tank that lobbies for less immigration.

"A significant number of Republicans and a huge number of Democrats want DACA," he says. "The question becomes: What are they willing to accept in order to receive that?"</s>New York and Washington state on Monday vowed to sue President Donald Trump if he scraps a program shielding from deportation immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children.

The Trump administration is expected to announce on Tuesday that he will end the so-called Dreamers program but give the U.S. Congress six months to craft legislation to replace it, according to sources familiar with the situation.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will announce plans for ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, but will not take questions, the Justice Department said on Monday.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in a joint statement with the state's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, said, "The president's action would upend the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people who have only ever called America their home."

The attorney general of Washington state, Bob Ferguson, also threatened legal action. "I will use all the legal tools at my disposal to defend the thousands of Dreamers in Washington state," he said in a statement.

Ferguson and Schneiderman were among 20 attorneys general who wrote to Trump in July to say that if he ended the program, they would defend it "by all appropriate means."

Nine Republican state attorneys general have said they would file suit on Tuesday if Trump did not end the program.

The White House declined to comment on Monday.

DACA is a policy created by former President Barack Obama that protects nearly 800,000 young people, often called "Dreamers," from deportation and allows them to work legally.

Under the shift Trump is considering, any Dreamer with a valid work permit would be able to remain in the United States until the permit expires, in the absence of congressional action, sources familiar with the matter said.

At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security would not target Dreamers for deportation, one of the sources said.

Dreamers are a fraction of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, most of them Hispanic. Trump as a candidate promised to deport all of them, but many Americans have rallied to support the young adults, who have spent large parts of their lives in the United States.

While Republicans in Congress have generally taken a hard line on illegal immigration and are sympathetic to the argument that Obama overstepped his bounds in creating DACA, several have stepped forward to call for action to protect the Dreamers.

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican official, on Friday urged Trump not to rescind the program, as did Senator Orrin Hatch. Senator James Lankford said on Monday it was not appropriate to "hold children legally accountable for the actions of their parents."

Another Republican, Senator Tom Cotton, who has been particularly outspoken on reforming immigration laws, told the Washington Examiner he supports legislation that would protect dreamers and take legal steps to reduce illegal immigration.

Many prominent business leaders, including the chief executive officers of Microsoft, General Motors and Facebook Inc – Satya Nadella, Mary Barra and Mark Zuckerberg, respectively -- have also urged Trump not to reverse the Dreamer program.</s>“The program will end after a transition period over the next six months, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a press conference on Tuesday,” Cheng reports. “The move by the Trump administration fulfills one of the campaign promises made by President Donald Trump.”

“Cook, in an email to employees obtained by CNET, vowed to work with members of Congress to ‘advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country,'” Cheng reports. “Cook said Apple would provide support, including advice from immigration experts, to the Dreamers who work at Apple.”

Sessions said the DACA program represented an overextension of the president’s executive power and said it was up to Congress to set up immigration policy. ‘As the Attorney General, it is my duty to ensure that the laws of the United States are enforced and that the Constitutional order is upheld,’ he said during a press conference. ‘Ending the previous Administration’s disrespect for the legislative process is an important first step,'” Cheng reports. “Cook said Dreamers work for Apple in 28 states, and that for many, the US is their home.”

Read more in the full article here.

America promises all its people the opportunity to achieve their dreams through hard work and perseverance. At Apple, we’ve dedicated ourselves to creating products that empower those dreams. And at our best, we aspire to be part of the promise that defines America. Earlier today, the Justice Department announced that President Trump will cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months if Congress does not act to make the program permanent. I am deeply dismayed that 800,000 Americans — including more than 250 of our Apple coworkers — may soon find themselves cast out of the only country they’ve ever called home. DACA recognizes that people who arrived in the United States as children should not be punished for being here illegally. It lets these Americans, who have successfully completed rigorous background investigations, go to school, earn a living, support their families, pay taxes and work toward achieving their dreams like the rest of us. They are called Dreamers, and regardless of where they were born, they deserve our respect as equals. I’ve received several notes over the weekend from Dreamers within Apple. Some told me they came to the U.S. as young as two years old, while others recounted they don’t even remember a time they were not in this country. Dreamers who work at Apple may have been born in Canada or Mexico, Kenya or Mongolia, but America is the only home they’ve ever known. They grew up in our cities and towns, and hold degrees from colleges across the country. They now work for Apple in 28 states. They help customers in our retail stores. They engineer the products people love and they’re building Apple’s future as part of our R&D teams. They contribute to our company, our economy and our communities just as much as you and I do. Their dreams are our dreams. I want to assure you that Apple will work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country. We are also working closely with each of our co-workers to provide them and their families the support they need, including the advice of immigration experts. On behalf of the hundreds of employees at Apple whose futures are at stake; on behalf of their colleagues and on behalf of the millions more across America who believe, as we do, in the power of dreams, we issue an urgent plea for our leaders in Washington to protect the Dreamers so their futures can never be put at risk in this way again. Despite this setback for our nation, I’m confident that American values will prevail and we will continue our tradition of welcoming immigrants from all nations. I’ll do whatever I can to assure this outcome. 

 President Trump ends DACA, but gives Congress 6-month window to deliver solution; Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘stands with’ 250 DACA-protected employees – September 5, 2017

 Apple CEO Tim Cook signs letter encouraging President Trump to preserve the DACA ‘Dreamers’ program – September 1, 2017

 Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective buying The Atlantic – July 28, 2017

 President Trump tells Apple CEO Cook that U.S. needs comprehensive immigration reform – June 20, 2017

 Laurene Powell Jobs launches new website in ‘DREAM Act’ push – January 22, 2013

 Laurene Powell Jobs looks to create bipartisan support for DREAM Act immigration reform – December 18, 2012</s>Implemented in 2012, DACA gives about 800,000 people who arrived in the country undocumented, brought here by their parents, the ability to work legally in the US,, as well as other rights, such as attending college.

Implemented in 2012, DACA gives about 800,000 people who arrived in the country undocumented, brought here by their parents, the ability to work legally in the US,, as well as other rights, such as attending college.

The young immigrants are preparing for the unknown, with Trump expected to end the program but with a six-month delay to give Congress time to decide if it wants to address the status of the law.

The young immigrants are preparing for the unknown, with Trump expected to end the program but with a six-month delay to give Congress time to decide if it wants to address the status of the law.

The expected crush of interviews, subpoenas and testimony this fall underscores both the broad scope of the Russia probes and the certainty that they will shadow Trump's presidency for months or even years.

The expected crush of interviews, subpoenas and testimony this fall underscores both the broad scope of the Russia probes and the certainty that they will shadow Trump's presidency for months or even years.

After Harvey, Texas faces a rebuilding effort that will draw not just on government money, but the efforts of construction companies and natural resources that might have otherwise gone to a wall.

After Harvey, Texas faces a rebuilding effort that will draw not just on government money, but the efforts of construction companies and natural resources that might have otherwise gone to a wall.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has brushed off suggestions that he might be disappointed in Donald Trump's presidency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has brushed off suggestions that he might be disappointed in Donald Trump's presidency.

Putin says Trump 'not my bride, and I'm not his groom'

Putin says Trump 'not my bride, and I'm not his groom'

President Trump tells Congress to "get ready to do your job" when it comes to deciding the fate of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

President Trump tells Congress to "get ready to do your job" when it comes to deciding the fate of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

When President Donald Trump scrapped a program benefiting young people who entered the U.S. illegally as children, he left the announcement to the member of his Cabinet who had railed against it the longest and loudest.

When President Donald Trump scrapped a program benefiting young people who entered the U.S. illegally as children, he left the announcement to the member of his Cabinet who had railed against it the longest and...

Lawmakers meeting Tuesday face a daunting workload and fast-approaching deadlines, including the need to fund the government and increase the United States' $19.9 trillion debt ceiling by month's end.

Lawmakers meeting Tuesday face a daunting workload and fast-approaching deadlines, including the need to fund the government and increase the United States' $19.9 trillion debt ceiling by month's end.

(AP Photo/Richard Vogel). Supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA chant slogans and hold signs while joining a Labor Day rally in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais). In this Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017 photo, supporters of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), demonstrate on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington.

(AP Photo/Richard Vogel). Supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, chant slogans and holds signs while joining a Labor Day rally in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump on Tuesday began dismantling Barack Obama's program protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children, declaring he loves the "dreamers" who could face deportation but insisting it's up to Congress, not him, to address their plight.

Trump didn't specify what he wanted done, essentially sending a six-month time bomb to his fellow Republicans in Congress who have no consensus on how to defuse it.

The president tried to have it both ways with his compromise plan: fulfilling his campaign promise to eliminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, while at the same time showing compassion for those who would lose deportation protection and the ability to work legally in the U.S. New applications will be rejected and the program will be formally rescinded, but the administration will continue to renew existing two-year work permits for the next six months, giving Congress time to act.

"I have a love for these people and hopefully now Congress will be able to help them and do it properly," Trump told reporters.

Yet at the same time, the White House distributed talking points to members of Congress that included a dark warning: "The Department of Homeland Security urges DACA recipients to use the time remaining on their work authorizations to prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States."

Although Trump's announcement had been anticipated in recent days, it still left young people covered by the DACA program reeling.

"You just feel like you are empty," said a sobbing Paola Martinez, 23, who came to the U.S. from Colombia and recently graduated with a civil engineering degree from Florida International University

"I honestly can't even process it right now," said Karen Marin, an immigrant from Mexico, who was in a physics class at Bronx Community College when the news broke. "I'm still trying to get myself together."

Their predicament now shifts to Congress, which has repeatedly tried - and failed - to pass immigration legislation.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president would look to Congress to pass a "responsible immigration reform package" with money to control the border with Mexico and better protect American workers' jobs - along with protecting "dreamers."

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said if Trump truly wants a comprehensive immigration reform package, including a solution for the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally, he's certain to be disappointed. Congress tried that and failed in 2013, and GOP leaders immediately ruled it out Tuesday.

If the goal is a more incremental package that combines a solution for the "dreamers" with steps such as visa reforms and enhanced border security, "there may be a deal to be had," Cornyn said.

Sanders' blunt warning to lawmakers skeptical they can come up with a plan: "If they can't, then they should get out of the way and let somebody else take their job that can actually get something done."

The DACA program was created by former President Obama by executive action in 2012, when it became clear Congress would not act to address the young immigrants' plight in legislation that was dubbed the "Dream Act." Trump ran his campaign as an immigration-hard liner, labeling DACA as illegal "amnesty" and pledging to repeal it immediately. But he shifted his approach after the election, expressing sympathy for the "dreamers," many of whom were brought to the U.S. by their parents when they were very young and have no memories of the counties where they were born.

Trump's aides painted his move to gradually phase out the program as the best of bad options: State officials had threatened a lawsuit if he did not act by Tuesday to repeal the program, which has given nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the U.S. in the form of two-year, renewable work permits.

"In effect, I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act," Trump said. He said he was not in favor of punishing children for the actions of their parents, but he added, "Young Americans have dreams, too."

Lawmakers were trickling back to the Capitol Tuesday from a summer recess and already are confronting a daunting to-do list including a relief package for Hurricane Harvey victims and a pressing need to raise the federal borrowing limit. Some GOP lawmakers and aides are discussing the possibility of a bipartisan immigration package, including a solution for the dreamers, money for border security and enforcement, and perhaps other items like changes to some visa programs.

A stand-alone bill addressing just the "dreamers" seems unlikely to pass the House, given the firm stance of many conservatives. And it's unclear whether Trump would sign it anyway.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he hoped the "House and Senate, with the president's leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country."

Under the phase-out plan announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Department of Homeland Security was halting acceptance of new applications under DACA as of Tuesday. People with permits set to expire between now and March 5, 2018, will be able to re-apply as long as their applications are submitted by Oct. 5. Existing permits will remain in effect, and applications already in the pipeline will be processed.

That means the earliest that dreamers would begin to lose protections under the program would be next March.

Trump's action nonetheless drew swift criticism from immigration advocates, Democratic lawmakers and business and religious leaders who had urged Trump to spare the program.

Obama slammed the decision as "wrong," ''self-defeating" and "cruel."

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called it "a deeply shameful act of political cowardice and a despicable assault on innocent young people in communities across America."

Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Trump was taking "the wrong approach," and he added: "The federal government has a responsibility to defend and secure our borders, but we must do so in a way that upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation."

One bill addressing the issue that has received significant attention, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would allow young immigrants who grew up in the U.S. to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship if they complete a list of requirements.

The president, Graham declared, must "work the phones ... try and get a consensus here."

"From a Republican Party point of view, this is a defining moment," he said.

Trump's announcement came the same day as a deadline set by Republican state officials who said they would challenge DACA in court unless the administration rescinded it. Administration officials argued the program was on flimsy legal footing - and said that allowing the lawsuit to proceed would have thrown it into far more chaos than phasing it out. After Trump's announcement, attorneys general in New York and California said they were prepared to seek legal action against his decision.

Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman, Ken Thomas, Erica Werner and Richard Lardner in Washington, Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and Astrid Galvan in New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Trump Administration announces that, during the next six months, it will be ending the DACA program that has halted the deportation of about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Congress is called upon to pass legislation to correct the situation.