DACA, the federal program for undocumented immigrants, to begin accepting new applicants

Thousands of undocumented immigrants are now eligible to apply for a federal program that provides protection from deportation and a work permit if they meet specific requirements.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to fully restore an Obama-era executive order known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and publish a public notice by Monday specifying first-time applications will be accepted.

Court battles ensued after the Trump administration attempted to end DACA in September 2017, and first-time applications have not been accepted since then. And although the attempt to end the program was described as “arbitrary and capricious” by the U.S. Supreme Court in June and a Maryland federal judge in July ruled that DACA be restored, the Trump administration continued denying new applications. They also began requiring this year that those already in the program renew their application every year, rather than the previously-established two years.

In California, there are an estimated 4,000 undocumented students enrolled in the 10-campus UC system, about 9,500 at California State University’s 23 campuses and up to 70,000 in the state’s 115 community colleges. About half of those students are estimated to have DACA certification.

Advocates of the program rejoiced on Friday, some using the hashtag HomeIsHere on Twitter to communicate their support.