Donald Trump scraps programme protecting young immigrants; 7,000 Indians to be hit

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, that has protected from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought into the country illegally as children.
The move is likely to impact 8,00,000 undocumented workers including more than 7,000 Indian immigrants living in the US.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the decision to rescind the DACA programme, which he called an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws and an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch. Barack Obama had bypassed Congress and created DACA through an executive order in 2012.
"The nation must set and enforce a limit on how many immigrants we admit each year. We cannot admit everyone who would like to come here, it's just that simple," Sessions told mediapersons at a press briefing.
The DACA, or "dreamers" programme has provided nearly 8,00,000 young immigrants, predominantly from Latin American countries, a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the US. India ranks 11th among countries of origin for DACA students, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services statistics available till March 31, 2017.
Phasing out the DACA has been high on the Trump administration's agenda for a while now, as it goes against the President's anti-immigrant line and "America-first" policy.
Sessions said the US Justice Department has advised Trump and Homeland Security to begin orderly wind-down of the DACA and Congress would have six months to decide on an alternative way to protect young undocumented immigrants.
The government will henceforth stop processing new applications under the programme. Some DACA recipients whose work permits expire before March 5, 2018 would be given a six-month window to apply to renew those permits. Such individuals must apply for renewal before October 5, administration officials said.
DACA recipients whose work permits expire will be considered to be in the United States without permission and are eligible for removal, but they will be a low priority for immigration enforcement, the officials said.
Trump's decision to end the DACA has been met with reproof by Democrats, with House Leader Nancy Pelosi calling it "a deeply shameful act of political cowardice."
Senior Republican leader John McCain, who has openly aired his disapproval of Trump's actions in the past, panned the move to wind down the DACA and said it was the "wrong approach to immigration policy."