<p>A federal judge on Tuesday granted a request by the state of California and other plaintiffs to temporarily block President Trump&rsquo;s decision to phase out the <em>Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals</em> program, an Obama-era policy that protects young immigrants from deportation.</p>
<p>US District Judge William Alsup insists DACA recipients are &ldquo;likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm&rdquo; if Trump&rsquo;s decision is allowed to take effect and argues the decision to end the program was &ldquo;based on a flawed legal premise.&#8221; Alsup&rsquo;s ruling orders the White House to allow DACA recipients to renew their applications, but does not allow any new applicants. ;</p>
<p>Alsup&#8217;s ruling comes after he ;considered five separate lawsuits filed in California and three other states. The lawsuits have a good chance of succeeding, says Alsup. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;DACA covers a class of immigrants whose presence, seemingly all agree, pose the least, if any, threat and allows them to sign up for honest labor on the condition of continued good behavior,&rdquo; wrote Alsup. &ldquo;This has become an important program for DACA recipients and their families, for the employers who hire them, for our tax treasuries, and for our economy.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The Trump Administration argues that former President Barack Obama overstepped his authority when he used executive action to implement DACA in 2012. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;DACA was implemented unilaterally after Congress declined to extend these benefits to this same group of illegal aliens,&rdquo; says Department of Justice spokesman Devin O&rsquo;Malley. ;&ldquo;The Justice Department will continue to vigorously defend this position, and looks forward to vindicating its position in further litigation.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>In September, AG Jeff Sessions announced the program would be phased out. ;</strong></p>
<p>California attorney Jeffrey Davidson insists the effects of ending the program will be &ldquo;horrific&rdquo; for recipients who made important life decisions based on DACA. &ldquo;The government considered none of this at all when they decided to rescind DACA,&rdquo; argues Davidson.</p>
<p>One of the ;five lawsuits comes from Janet Napolitano, the former Homeland Security Secretary who essentially created DACA. Today, she serves as President of the University of California school system. ; ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;UC&rsquo;s DACA students represent the very best of our country and are a key part of California and our nation&rsquo;s future,&rdquo; the university said in a statement after the hearing. According to the statement, the school will persist with its legal challenges and seek permanent protection for DACA recipients. ;</p>
<p>President Trump tweeted his displeasure with Alsup&rsquo;s ruling on Wednesday: &ldquo;It just shows everyone how broken and unfair our Court System is when the opposing side in a case always runs to the 9th Circuit and almost always wins before being reversed by higher courts.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Author&rsquo;s Note:</strong> Alsup is a Clinton appointee, and his decision comes as no surprise. Federal courts &ndash; California in particular &ndash; ;have fought nearly all of Trump&rsquo;s policies on immigration, refugee admissions, and sanctuary cities. ;</p>
<p>Trump is busy appointing conservative judges, but there are still plenty of bad ones out there. The lawsuit will eventually reach the Supreme Court, where Trump&rsquo;s decision on DACA ;(like the travel ban) will inevitably be deemed legal. ; ;</p>