The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump's administration's effort to end the Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), that protects and provides work permits to more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children. 

In a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts joining the ruling, the young immigrants called Dreamers who face deportation are granted a reprieve, the New York Times reports. While the court said the administration may still seek to terminate the protections, that is unlikely to happen before the November elections. 

According to Inside Higher Ed, the Supreme Court's decision came after it concluded the administration failed to offer adequate reasons to end the program. 

The ruling is one of the biggest legal defeats of Trump's presidency and served as a setback for the president who promised to terminate the program in his election campaign, the Wall Street Journal said. 

What is DACA?

The program, which was introduced by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2012, aimed to shield the young people who have grown up and identify themselves as Americans from deportation. DACA does not provide undocumented immigrants with a pathway to citizenship. 

The protection allows non-U.S. citizens who meet the qualification to remain in the country, get work permits and obtain health insurance from employers, as reported by ADL. Requesting DACA requires immigrants to pay a fee of $495 every two years.  An applicant must also be enrolled in high school, or have a diploma or G.E.D, or have served in the military. Individuals with criminal histories are not eligible.

The program also grants Dreamers access to higher education, drivers' licenses, in-state tuition, grants, and loans. 

Immigrants who arrived in the country before age 16 and have lived here since June 15, 2007, are qualified to receive the protection and the benefits. They undergo background checks, fingerprint, and other biometric tests. 

Protected Immigrants

According to the Times, most people under the DACA program are immigrants from Mexico, while others were born in Central or South America, the Caribbean, or Asia. 

Since the DACA program was enacted, more than 787,000 people have received protection from deportation. A 2017 national study claimed 91 percent of undocumented immigrants who are signed up in the program have been employed with an average hourly wage of $17.46 per hour. 

An estimated 454,000 are enrolled in various colleges and institutions in the country. The University of California enrolls about 4,000 undocumented immigrants, most of whom are DACA recipients, Inside Higher Ed reported. 

The program stopped accepting new applications since the Trump administration made efforts to stop the program in 2017. Advocates managed to keep DACA alive through legal challenges. Lower courts have also allowed the people who were granted protection to renew it until the Supreme Court issued its ruling. 

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