Trump expected to offer delayed end to DACA

President Donald Trump is expected to announce Tuesday an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, but with a six-month delay, according to a report published by Politico. The delay would give Congress time to come up with legislation to address the program’s status. The president, who has grappled with the issue for months, could change his mind before an official announcement is made. The White House faces a Tuesday deadline set by Republican state officials who threatened to sue the Trump administration if the president failed to end the program. The Obama administration created the DACA program, which gives nearly 800,000 young immigrants, or “Dreamers,” a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the form of two-year, renewable work permits. During his 2016 campaign, Trump called DACA illegal “amnesty,” vowing to eliminate it the day he took office. But Trump has wavered on the issue since then, telling the Associated Press at one point that those covered could “rest easy.” Strong reaction to the president’s expected decision came from both sides of the aisle. “IF REPORTS ARE TRUE, Pres Trump better prepare for the civil rights fight of his admin. A clean DREAM Act is now a Nat Emergency #DefendDACA,” tweeted Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R-Fla., tweeted, “After teasing #Dreamers for months with talk of his “great heart,” @POTUS slams door on them. Some ‘heart’…” But Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who has called DACA unconstitutional, tweeted, “Ending DACA now gives chance 2 restore Rule of Law. Delaying so R Leadership can push Amnesty is Republican suicide.” More than 300 pastors and evangelical leaders have signed a letter asking the president to preserve the program until Congress can make it permanent.