NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York has ruled President Donald Trump’s administration didn’t offer “legally adequate reasons” for ending a program that spared many immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. as children.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said in an order issued Tuesday the Republican president “indisputably” has the power to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program but relied on flawed legal positions in doing so.
Trump’s attorney general has said then-President Barack Obama’s decision to implement DACA was an unconstitutional exercise of authority.
The judge says Trump’s administration relied on an “erroneous” belief the program was unconstitutional. His ruling mirrors one issued in San Francisco in January.
The judge ordered Trump’s administration to allow people already in the DACA program to continue enjoying protections. He declined to extend the program for new applicants.
