US: Supreme court set to decide fate of 660,000 immigrants under DACA

The United States Apex court is all set to hear the arguments on the legality of President Donald Trump's 'Dreamers' programme of deporting hundreds and thousands of immigrants who entered the country illegally as children. The scheduled 80-minute arguments over the 2017 plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program implemented in 2012 by former US President Barack Obama. According to Republican Trump's administration, his Democratic predecessor had exceeded his constitutional powers in the creation of DACA. 

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Hardline immigration policies

President Trump has not only cracked down legal as well as illegal immigration but is currently pursuing construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border which was also the main part of his presidency and 2020 re-election campaign. While some of Trump's critics believe that the current US leader has made America 'less welcoming' and that is not what they are as a country. The nine-judge panel has a conservative majority with only four Democratic and two justices are appointed by the US President himself, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. 

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660,000 immigrants shielded by DACA

Presently, over 660,000 immigrants are protected from deportation under Obama's DACA and mostly include Hispanic young adults who also have work permits, but not US citizenship. The fate of all the immigrants will be decided by the Supreme Court on hearing the appeals of lower court rulings in California, New York and the District of Columbia which blocked President's move leaving DACA still in function. According to the lower courts, the removal of DACA will lead to violation of the US law, the Administrative Procedure Act. The people who sued President Trump included those in California and New York who are protected by DACA. According to a Democratic Californian attorney general, Xavier Becerra, ending DACA is 'illegal' and 'against American values'. 

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(With inputs from agencies)