The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might extend the renewal date for an executive amnesty program that shields certain younger illegal immigrants from deportation, an administration lawyer said Thursday.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate told a federal judge in New York that DHS was considering an extension due to disruptions caused by recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida.
President Donald Trump canceled earlier in September the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to avoid deportation and obtain work permits. Under the wind down timeline, DACA recipients whose status expires before March 5 have until Oct. 5 to apply for a two-year renewal.
Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke has not made a decision whether or not to extend the deadline, department spokesman David Lapan told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The Department will evaluate the impact on recipients living in the hurricane-affected areas,” Lapan said in an email.
For now, “eligible DACA recipients have three weeks remaining to submit their applications,” he added.
Trump’s decision has kicked off negotiations between the White House and congressional leaders over a compromise that would give DACA recipients some kind of permanent legal status in exchange for tougher border security measures. (RELATED: More DACA Confusion: Trump Says No Citizenship For ‘Dreamers’)
“No one will be harmed by extending this deadline,” Garaufis said, according to Reuters. “Especially the 800,000 people who are sweating about whether someone is going to come knocking on their door and send them back to a country that they don’t even know and where they don’t speak the language.”
Though Trump gave Congress a six-month grace period to draw up a bill on DACA, he appears to be pressing for a resolution within the next few weeks. On Thursday, Trump said he was close to a deal with Democratic congressional leaders that would preserve DACA protections in return for later funding on a border wall and additional border security measures. The White House has not confirmed if the Dream Act, a bill that would give DACA recipients a path to citizenship, would be part of such a deal.
In the Brooklyn courtroom, Shumate told Garaufis that the administration would consider a deadline extension.
“We will definitely take your concerns back to our clients,” Shumate said, according to Reuters.
Send tips to will@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.