<p>President Trump recently announced he would be ending the <em>Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals</em> (DACA) program, an Obama-era immigration policy put into place in 2012 to protect illegal immigrants who were brought into the US as minors. ; ;</p>
<p>DACA allows these individuals, nicknamed &ldquo;dreamers,&rdquo; to apply for renewable 2-year work permits that postpone deportation. ;Nearly 850,000 people have applied. ;</p>
<p>The argument here is that these individuals did not come to the US under their own volition. They grew up in America and have little knowledge of their birth country. ;</p>
<p>The counterargument is that giving all these people legal status would encourage even more people to come into the country illegally.  ;</p>
<p>As reported Sunday by <em>Politico</em>, Trump is considering a 6-month delay that would give Congress time to develop a plan to help the thousands of dreamers who would be affected by the termination of DACA.</p>
<p><strong>Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called on Trump not to end the program. ;</strong></p>
<p>Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) believes that scrapping DACA &ldquo;would further complicate a system in serious need of a permanent, legislative solution.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has urged Trump to leave DACA alone, saying it is &ldquo;something Congress has to fix.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Attorney General Session announced that the program has ended, but Congress still has the opportunity to act.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I have always believed DACA was a presidential overreach,&rdquo; says South Carolina Rep. Lindsey Graham (R). &ldquo;However, I equally understand the plight of the Dream Kids who &ndash; for all practical purposes &ndash; know no country other than America.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Graham has teamed up with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to introduce legislation that would provide a legal path to citizenship for DACA recipients.  ; ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It is right for there to be consequences for those who intentionally entered this country illegally,&rdquo; argues Senator James Lankford (R-OK). &ldquo;However, we as Americans do not hold children legally accountable for the actions of their parents.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) hopes to pass legislation that would protect DACA immigrants and establish border security provisions, but such a move could turn away Democratic support.</p>
<p>Others believe there is a slim chance Republicans could earn Democratic support for the border wall if they agree to protect DACA immigrants. ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Dear Republicans, your moment has come,&rdquo; tweeted Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT). &ldquo;Show the courage and grace to save these children, and our nation.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>The DACA debate is the latest battle pitting moderates in the White House and Congress against Trump&rsquo;s conservative advisers, but it is the first to take place without former White House strategist Steve Bannon. ;</p>
<p>Bannon, who has resumed his position at the helm of <em>Breitbart News</em>, will be free to &ldquo;engage in open combat with fellow Republicans from the outside,&rdquo; reports <em>Politico.</em> ;</p>
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<p>This is a complicated issue, and it is unclear what would happen if Congress fails to solve the problem in the allocated 6 months. ;</p>
<p>Trump promised to end DACA while on the campaign trail ;but has faced serious pressure not to do so from the moment he entered the Oval Office. ;</p>
<p>In a meeting that took place shortly after the election, Obama warned Trump he would pay a heavy political price if he deported the dreamers. That message seemed to resonate with Trump, and many believe he won&rsquo;t end the program if Congress fails to come up with a solution.  ; ;</p>