Judge Rules DACA Program to Remain for Now

This week San Francisco judge William Alsup declared the DACA program must stay in place while the lawsuit trials go on, inciting outrage from Trump. The President wants to eliminate the DACA program completely, but he has had limited success so far because he originally rescinded the program back in September, claiming he was going to also deport those protected by it, but this judge's ruling reverses all that he's already done.

So what is DACA? It stands for Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals, and is a program implemented by Barrack Obama through an executive order that lets illegal minors be deferred from deportation for two years, and that deferral can be renewed. The intent behind the program is to give children of illegal immigrants a chance to gain an education and later on obtain work permits instead of deporting the children immediately. There are about 800,000 "Dreamers" protected by this program, and Trump's original intent was to deport them all by slowly taking away DACA. However, this ruling is a real thorn in the side of President Trump's plans not only for DACA in particular but the immigration legislation he is desperately trying to get past, as per his main campaign points.

One of reasons Trump is so invested in taking away DACA is because he connects most of the issues that have to do with illegal immigration, and he has stated that the "Dreamers" are an essential part to legislation that also connects to the infamous 'wall' he's planning to build on the border of Mexico.

Closely related, a proposed immigration bill to 'fix' the system in the country, which includes funding for the wall and improved border security, was just unveiled by its supporters. Consisting mostly of rather conservative Republicans, the writers of the bill claim that it is a "starting point," which is good considering there are some moderate Republicans who do not even agree with the bill.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how President Trump deals with the courts in this situation, and what happens with the 800,000 "Dreamers" that are hinging on the changes he intends to make.

Questions:
1. What do you think this indicates about the direction talks about "Dreamers" are going to take?
2. How do you think this will affect the overall outcome of Trump's plans to curb immigration heavily?
3. Do you agree with the judge's ruling? Why or why not?

Sources:
BBC
CNN
Washington Post
Chicago Tribune