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DOJ Precedent Decision Weakens DACA Protections, Hundreds of Thousands Face Deportation Risk

goodinfo.net — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0800

DOJ Precedent Decision Weakens DACA Protections, Hundreds of Thousands Face Deportation Risk

The Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) published a precedent decision on April 25 ruling that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status alone is not sufficient grounds to provide relief from deportation. The ruling marks a systematic effort by the Trump administration to weaken legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.

The decision stems from the case of Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, a DACA recipient who was detained by Customs and Border Protection officers while boarding a domestic flight at the El Paso airport in August 2025. She was subsequently placed in immigration removal proceedings. Immigration Judge Michael Pleters had previously terminated her removal proceedings, but the Department of Homeland Security appealed that decision to the BIA.

A three-judge panel of appellate immigration judges unanimously sided with DHS, overturning the immigration judge’s ruling. While the decision does not mean Santiago will be immediately deported, it establishes a new precedent that could significantly weaken deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of other DACA recipients.

The DACA program was established in 2012 under the Obama administration to protect approximately 600,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children from deportation. In recent years, the program has faced ongoing legal challenges and political pressure.

Source: NPR - Justice Department makes it easier to deport those with DACA status

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Trump's Border Asylum Ban Is Illegal

goodinfo.net — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 23:45:00 +0800

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Trump’s Border Asylum Ban Is Illegal

A U.S. federal appeals court ruled on April 24 that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally suspend border asylum applications, declaring that the Trump administration’s border asylum ban — issued on Inauguration Day 2025 — violates the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

The court opinion concluded that while Congress has authorized the president to suspend entry of specific categories of people through executive proclamation, this power does not allow the president to remove plaintiffs under “procedures of his own making” or to suspend their statutory right to seek asylum. The panel found that the INA’s text, structure, and history make clear that Congress did not intend to grant the Executive such expansive authority to bypass established asylum procedures.

The ruling traces back to an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, 2025, his first day in office, in which he declared that the situation at the southern border constituted an “invasion” and accordingly “suspended” asylum applications at the border. The policy has since faced a series of legal challenges.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded on Fox News, saying she had not seen the full ruling but called it “unsurprising,” blaming “politically-motivated judges.”

The administration can ask the full appeals court to reconsider the ruling or take the case to the Supreme Court. The order does not formally take effect until after the court considers any request to reconsider.

Source: NPR - Appeals court rules that Trump’s asylum ban at the border is illegal