Trump is expected to phase out Obama immigration programme

Loyola Marymount University student and 'dreamer' Maria Carolina Gomez joins a rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme in Los Angeles. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump is expected to phase out the Obama-era programme that grants work permits to about 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.

But he is expected to delay its end for six months to give Congress time to pass legislation to replace it, according to multiple people briefed on the President's discussions.

Trump's plan remains fluid and could change, however, and Administration officials stressed that the President has not finalised his decision. The White House has scheduled an announcement for Wednesday.

Trump has been wrestling over the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme since the start of his presidency, and he has been known to change his mind about difficult policy issues until the moment he makes public a decision.

Politico first reported today that Trump had decided to end DACA.

Two people briefed on Trump's deliberations confirmed Politico's report to the Washington Post, and a third person with knowledge of the internal discussions confirmed that the White House is preparing to slowly phase out the programme so Congress could pass legislation for an alternative programme to help the programme's recipients, known as "Dreamers."

Many questions remain about how the policy would be implemented, including how long after Trump's announcement current DACA beneficiaries would have to renew their protected status.

Should Trump move forward with this decision, he would effectively be buying time and punting responsibility to Congress to determine the fate of the Dreamers. There is a consensus view among many of his top advisers that the DACA programme, which President Barack Obama created by executive action, would not stand up in a court of law.

Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and recently departed chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon have advocated a hard-line immigration stance with the president, including ending DACA.

But Trump has long voiced sympathy for the programme's beneficiaries, many of whom immigrated to the United States as young children and have lived here for most of their lives.

"We love the Dreamers," Trump told reporters last week in the Oval Office. "We think the Dreamers are terrific."

Surrogates for Trump said that American workers would benefit by ending the DACA programme, which has let undocumented children work and study in the United States without fear of deportation, but congressional Republicans urged the White House to leave the programme intact.