The Trump administration is reconsidering its decision to end a program that allowed migrants to remain in the country while they and their family members were getting medical treatments that would save their lives.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services last month mailed letters to people who had applied for renewals for their status, saying it was not taking requests and it would give immigrants 33 days to either leave the country or face deportation, reports The Hill.
However, the administration said Monday it would reconsider the plan, which was condemned by medical professionals and created a public outcry, reports The New York Times.
The agency told the newspaper it had not started deportation proceedings for anyone who got one of the letters and the caseload that was pending Aug. 7 would be completed.
However, it did not say if it will continue to grant immigrants the renewal status, or what will happen after the pending cases are handled, the Times reported.
The agency gets, and rejects, about 1,000 deferred action requests, mainly for family or medical reasons, every year.
A USCIS official, when asked for clarification, replied it is "taking immediate corrective action to reopen previously pending cases for consideration."
"Whether a very limited version of deferred action will continue forward at USCIS is still under review," the official told the Times. "More information will be forthcoming."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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