A federal judge has ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to resume a programme that protected those who came illegally to the US as children from deportation.
Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis in New York City ruled on Friday that children who had been brought to the US as illegal immigrants should continue to be registered for the programme known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and those registered in it should be given work permits for two years instead of for one.
Ironically, while Indians who had been brought illegally to US as children benefit under the programme, it will not give work permits to the thousands who came to the US legally as children with their parents who are waiting their Green Cards for which the waiting period is more than a decade in some categories.
The children who came here legally on H-4 visas with parents who had H1-B visas will not be covered by their parent’s visa when they reach the age of 21 and can be deported. A federal case to prevent them losing legal status is pending in a court in Oregon.
The Trump administration stopped registering 2017 the illegal child immigrants for the programme and it began giving out only one-year work permits to those already on the programme.
Friday’s ruling reverses those actions about six before Joe Biden, who had promised in his manifesto liberal immigration policies that include reinstating DACA and extending educational grants and loans to those covered by it.
DACA was introduced when Bracka Obama was President and Biden Vice President.
Legislative efforts to give the illegal immigrant children permanent immigrant status with prospects of gaining citizenship had stalled over Trump’s insistence that the legislation cover other immigration issues also.
–IANS
al/rt
