DACA before the 9th Circuit

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday will be the first federal appeals court to hear arguments about President Donald Trump’s decisions to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Around 700,000 people brought to the United States illegally as children have been protected by the Obama-era immigration policy. The Trump administration has argued President Barack Obama exceeded his power in implementing the program. A federal judge in San Francisco in January blocked the administration’s decision to end DACA, stating the program had become important for families, employers, tax treasuries, and the economy. Trump’s attorneys on Tuesday will argue that the 9th Circuit, widely considered the most liberal U.S. appeals court, should throw out the judge’s decision, along with five pending lawsuits. Federal judges in New York and Washington, D.C., have also ruled against the Trump administration on DACA. The 2nd Circuit is expected to hear an appeal this summer on the New York judge’s ruling. The DACA decision likely will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.