A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully restart the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but the legal wrangling over the future of the program—which protects immigrants brought into the U.S. as children from deportation—is not over.
In a decision issued late last week, District of Columbia-based district judge John Bates dismissed the administration’s rationale for shutting down DACA as inadequate. Bates’ ruling marks the fourth district court judgment against the White House’s efforts to eliminate the program.
However, the order doesn’t take effect immediately. Bates gave the administration until August 23 to appeal the ruling or restart the Obama-era program, which grants permits to an estimated 700,000 immigrants, allowing them to legally work and stay in the country.