Appeals court rules against Trump on ending DACA

WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump cannot end an Obama administration program that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the USA as children.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit agreed with a federal district judge’s decision in January that Trump lacked the authority to eliminate the program – a proposal the president made last year in hopes of prodding Congress to act.

“Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that the rescission of DACA – at least as justified on this record – is arbitrary, capricious or otherwise not in accordance with law,” the threemember panel said.

The decision leaves in place for now the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, which has protected more than 700,000 undocumented immigrants from deportation and enabled them to get work permits.

The Justice Department is likely to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has five reliably conservative justices. In February, the high court refused to leapfrog the appeals court’s review of Judge William Alsup’s decision.

AP DACA backers demonstrate outside the Los Angeles office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in February.