PHOENIX (AP) — A federal court in Maryland has ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program must be restored fully, meaning it must open up to new applicants for the first time in three years.
The program helps immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to legally work and protects them from deportation.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump didn't properly end the program in 2017. Trump has said he'll renew his effort to end the legal protections.
Roughly 650,000 people are enrolled in DACA, but only those who were already in the program when it ended have been able to renew.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it is reviewing the ruling.
The attorney general of California, Xavier Becerra, led the multistate coalition in the lawsuit that sought to restore DACA.
After the court’s ruling, Becerra said, “From the Supreme Court down, the courts have made it clear: DACA stands, and now its doors are open to new Dreamers to apply. That's a fact and that's what matters.”
