Federal judges block an immediate end to DACA

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump cannot immediately end the program that shields from deportation young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.

The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit makes it more l i kely that the Supreme Court will settle the question.

The Trump administration moved to end the program in 2017 after Texas and other states threatened to sue to force an end to the program. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions advised to end the program, saying it was probably unlawful and that it could not be defended in court.

But a number of courts have ruled that the administration's reasoning was incorrect and kept the program in place.