Officials reviewing deferred deportation program ahead of key deadline: report

Officials at the Department of Homeland Security are reviewing an Obama-era program that defers deportation for many undocumented immigrants, sparking concerns that President Trump may end it, The Washington Post reports. 

DHS Secretary Elaine Duke and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement interim Director Thomas Homan reportedly met this week to decide on the program’s future, according to the report.

The meeting comes ahead of a key deadline. Texas and nine other states have pledged to file lawsuits challenging the program in federal court if the government does not end it by Sept. 5.

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President Trump pledged on the campaign trail to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and is expected to soon make his decision on its future.

Former President Barack Obama introduced the program in 2012. It gives approximately 800,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children renewable work permits, allowing them to remain in the U.S.

Many Republicans oppose the program. Attorney General Jeff Sessions opposed it as a senator, leading to concerns among immigrant rights groups and Democrats that he would not defend it in court.

Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, an extension of DACA that would have extended benefits to nearly 3.6 million people, was effectively stopped in a 2015 court case.