The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is being "rescinded," Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday from the Justice Department.
President Obama's "unconstitutional" executive action cannot stand, the AG explained. In enacting DACA, Obama "deliberately sought to achieve" what Congress repeatedly rejected.
The 44th president engaged in an "open ended circumvention of immigration laws," Sessions said.
Attorney General Sessions says DACA was an “unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch.” https://t.co/a1jFl4IN7C pic.twitter.com/W3GyrelYK7
— ABC News (@ABC) September 5, 2017
The result was dire "humanitarian consequences," and the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs that rightly belonged to Americans.
All immigration policies should serve the people of the United States, he continued. It is his duty as attorney general to enforce the rule of law.
“We cannot admit everyone who would like to come here,” Sessions explained.
"This does not mean they’re bad people," the AG added. It simply means we are “properly enforcing our laws.”
Before Sessions's press briefing, DACA proponents, including top Republicans, argued that Trump should keep the program in place because illegal immigrant minors should not be punished for their parents' crimes.
The Trump administration is ending DACA with a six-month delay for current beneficiaries. That interval, Sessions said, will give Congress apt time to respond.