Trump Administration to Accept New DACA Applications Following Federal Court Ruling

By Dani O. Jul 19 2020, 00:21 AM EDT

Supreme Court Rules President Trump Can Not End The Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program — DACA recipients and their supporters rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Applicants for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program may be granted federal protection after a court in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to accept new applications. The ruling comes weeks after the Supreme Court ruled the Obama-era program was canceled improperly.

Judge Paul Grimm of the District Court of Maryland on Friday said the Supreme Court's ruling restored the policy to the way it operated. The system changed after the administration filed a request to end it in September 2017.

Immigration lawyers have been submitting applications for the program since the court's June 18 ruling. Many hoped young undocumented immigrants, most of whom were not eligible to apply years ago, would be granted the protection.

The order released on Friday explicitly instructs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to accept applications from hundreds of thousands of DACA hopefuls.

Rejected DACA Applications

Several lawyers received rejection notices after filing new applications. Most were rejected for clerical errors, such as paying the wrong application fee.

A spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the recent notices did not indicate the exact reasons why they were rejected. The agency will work on correcting future announcements, the spokesman said.

The administration had continued to accept DACA renewals. However, the USCIS had not approved petitions from the people who wanted to enroll in the program, even if they met the requirements. It also barred recipients who left the country from returning.

The agency has yet to comment on whether it will accept initial petitions. As of Friday afternoon, two employees working for the immigration services agency revealed they have yet to receive guidance about initial applications, CBS News reports.

DACA: Road to the U.S. Citizenship

The federal court's order comes after President Donald Trump announced plans of creating a road to citizenship for DACA recipients.

Earlier this week, the president said he would be signing an executive order that would "take care" of DACA recipients. During a Rose Garden briefing, he claimed the order would be merit-based.

The program was created to help young immigrants who have come to live in the United States gain temporary permission to stay in the country and receive benefits.

Under the DACA initiative, recipients would be protected from deportation for two years. They would also be given work permits. The permits could grant them employment opportunities in the country. Many said the initiative helped increase their hourly wages by nearly 70 percent.

Depending on the state, DACA recipients may apply and receive driver's licenses. They would also receive in-state tuition. The initiative helped reduce high school drop-out rates and increased the number of immigrants who pursued a college education.

DACA recipients include over 27,000 people employed in the medical field, such as child care providers, doctors, first responders, and nurses. Roughly 200,000 essential workers are also enrolled in the program, including cleaners, grocery store workers, and restaurant workers.