Donald Trump

What Happens to DACA Holders If the Supreme Court Allows Trump to End the Program?

The administration will probably allow DACA enrollments to expire, experts think, so the biggest worry for DACA holders is deportation

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether President Donald Trump can go forward with his plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. The Obama-era program has allowed almost 700,000 young adults without legal status but who have been in the United States since they were children to work and study without fear of deportation, NBC News reports.

If the Supreme Court rules in Trump's favor, the question is what happens to these hundreds of thousands of young adults.

Deportation is the biggest fear of DACA recipients, as Missael García, 29, a father of a U.S.-born two-year-old, recently told NBC News. "Ending DACA would be a big blow for my family, it would be a complete family separation," he said.

Legal immigration experts say it’s highly unlikely that everyone would be deported immediately. The Supreme Court’s ruling, of course, determines the next steps. But if Trump prevails, the administration is likely to impose a gradual shutdown of DACA similar to what it tried before the phase-out was blocked by lower courts.

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