President Joe Biden blasted "MAGA" Republicans after a federal appeals court ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful.
On Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court ruling against the program but said current enrollees could renew their status.
Reuters noted the decision is a mixed one for Biden, who wanted a permanent pathway to citizenship for program recipients, who are often referred to as "Dreamers."
"I am disappointed in today's Fifth Circuit decision holding that DACA is unlawful," Biden said Wednesday. "The court's stay provides a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients, but one thing remains clear: the lives of Dreamers remain in limbo.
"Today's decision is the result of continued efforts by Republican state officials to strip DACA recipients of the protections and work authorization that many have now held for over a decade. And while we will use the tools we have to allow Dreamers to live and work in the only country they know as home, it is long past time for Congress to pass permanent protections for Dreamers, including a pathway to citizenship.
"My administration is committed to defending Dreamers against attacks from Republican officials in Texas and other states. This challenge to DACA is just another example of the extreme agenda being pushed by MAGA-Republican officials."
According to Reuters, Texas and a coalition of states with Republican attorneys general in 2018 sued to end DACA, arguing it was illegally implemented.
Reuters pointed out that in 2012 then-President Barack Obama created DACA after efforts by Congress to grant citizenship to immigrants brought to the country as children failed.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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