Sep 5, 2017 - Politics & Policy

Trump's short-term plan for DREAMers

Alex Brandon / AP

President Trump issued a statement Tuesday outlining how the administration plans to "wind down" the Obama-era DACA program:

  • "While new applications for work permits will not be accepted, all existing work permits will be honored until their date of expiration up to two full years from today."
  • "Applications already in the pipeline will be processed, as will renewal applications for those facing near-term expiration. This is a gradual process, not a sudden phase out. Permits will not begin to expire for another six months, and will remain active for up to 24 months. Thus, in effect, I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act."
  • "Our enforcement priorities remain unchanged. We are focused on criminals, security threats, recent border-crossers, visa overstays, and repeat violators. I have advised the Department of Homeland Security that DACA recipients are not enforcement priorities unless they are criminals, are involved in criminal activity, or are members of a gang."
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