(CNN)The Department of Homeland Security will begin to accept new applications for the Obama-era program shielding undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation to comply with a recent court order, the department announced Monday.
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program Friday, marking a significant step for the program’s beneficiaries and for undocumented immigrants who are eligible for the program but had been blocked from applying.
Effective Monday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services will accept new applications, as well as renewal requests, and extend the one-year grants of deferred action and employment authorization documents to two years. But DHS left the door open for an appeal.
“DHS will comply with Judge Garaufis’ order while it remains in effect, but DHS may seek relief from the order,” the department said on its website.
Judge Nicholas Garaufis’ order Friday backed up his November ruling that Chad Wolf had not been legally serving as acting Homeland Security secretary when he had signed rules limiting applications and renewals for the program.
The Trump administration tried ending DACA in 2017, but the US Supreme Court blocked its attempt in June. In light of the Supreme Court ruling, Wolf issued a memo in July that said new applications for DACA would not be accepted and renewals would be limited to one year instead of two amid an ongoing review. The memo had sought to buy time while the administration decided its next steps.
Garaufis’ order Friday appeared to nod to the administration’s handling of the Supreme Court ruling, calling for DHS to publicly — and prominently — provide notice that it will accept new applications and return to two-year renewals.
Source: DHS updates website to indicate DACA program has been restored
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