Trump plans to phase out DACA: ABC News

President Trump intends to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program by closing the window for new applications seeking legal status after Tuesday, ABC News reported, citing two administration officials.

Individuals who currently hold a DACA permit that is expiring between Tuesday and March 5, 2018, will be allowed to apply for a two-year renewal, the news outlet reported.

{mosads}The report comes hours before Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce the administration’s plans for DACA, an Obama-era policy that defers deportation for nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and allows them to apply for work permits.

Politico reported Sunday that Trump plans to end DACA with a six-month delay, which will allow Congress to step in before the protections expire.

Both Democrats and Republicans alike have called on the president to keep the program, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who said he believes it’s a policy “Congress has to fix.”

Trump and the White House have both stressed the seriousness he has given to the DACA decision.

“We love the Dreamers, we love everybody,” said Trump from the Oval Office on Friday, referring to DACA recipients.

“The president’s been very clear he loves people and he wants to make sure that this decision is done correctly,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Friday.

Shortly after taking office in January, Trump told ABC News’s David Muir in January that those protected by the DACA “shouldn’t be very worried.” 

“I do have a big heart,” Trump said at the time.