(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court in California ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue a program begun under former President Barack Obama that protects hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. Circuit Court of Appeals preserves the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program introduced in 2012 that has shielded from deportation a group of immigrants dubbed “Dreamers” and given them work permits, though not a path to citizenship. The ruling represented another legal defeat for Trump over DACA, although he has won court victories on other parts of his hardline immigration policies. His administration announced plans in September 2017 to phase out DACA, arguing that Obama exceeded his constitutional powers when he bypassed Congress and created the program. The administration in February unsuccessfully appealed Alsup’s ruling to the Supreme Court.

Source: Huffington Post November 08, 2018 18:22 UTC