A Trump administration memo distributed Tuesday guided legislators to stick to the talking points that DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, recipients should prepare for deportation, according to multiple reports.
The Department of Justice officially announced Tuesday that it would end DACA in six months. The program, which was created by former President Barack Obama through executive order, protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as minors from deportation.
And while the White House and President Donald Trump are urging Congress to come up with a legislative solution for the issue, the talking points from the Trump administration told Congress that DACA recipients should “prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States.”
“The Department of Homeland Security urges DACA recipients to use the time remaining on their work authorizations to prepare for and arrange their departure from the United States — including proactively seeking travel documentation — or to apply for other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible,” the document said, which ABC obtained and confirmed with two congressional sources and one White House official.
CNN was first to report on the memo. ABC News and NBC News also obtained the memo.
The guidance comes in contrast to public statements from the administration.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders dodged questions about whether DACA recipients would be deported once the six month window closes and instead told reporters Tuesday the administration has “confidence that Congress will actually do their job.” She said that DACA recipients would not be a priority for deportation.
The President himself tweeted Tuesday night that if Congress fails to come up with a solution, he would “revisit” the issue in six months.
Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can't, I will revisit this issue!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 6, 2017
This post has been updated.
