WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Senator John McCain said that President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Obama-era DACA program that allows immigrants who entered the US illegally as children reflects an unacceptable reversal of previous promises.
"I strongly believe that children who were illegally brought into this country through no fault of their own should not be forced to return to a country they do not know," McCain stated. "While I disagreed with President [Barack] Obama’s unilateral action on this issue, I believe that rescinding DACA at this time is an unacceptable reversal of the promises and opportunities that have been conferred to these individuals."
McCain’s was among the first in Trump’s Republican Party to criticize an announcement earlier on Tuesday to "wind down" the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was established in an executive order by Obama.
Earlier on Tuesday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the government will stop processing new applications for DACA — previously approved for about 800,000 childhood immigrants — which allows them to work in the United States and defers any deportation proceedings.
The Trump administration action includes a six-month grace period for Congress to pass a law authorizing DACA or a similar program before the government stops renewing permits for people now covered by the program.
This is not the first decision by the new US administration related to the immigration to the country. Trump's two immigration orders repeatedly blocked by US courts have caused mass criticism in the country and abroad, as well as led to several protests. However, the second version of the legislation later entered into force due to a court ruling.
