• A federal appeals court has ruled against the DACA policy, restricting new applications.
• The unanimous decision affects the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but current beneficiaries can still renew their permits.
• The ruling may pave the way for the issue to return to the Supreme Court.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called the decision a "major victory" for supporters of the crackdown on illegal immigration.
• This ruling marks the latest legal challenge to DACA, which was initiated by President Obama in 2012.

In a significant ruling on January 18, 2025, a federal appeals court decided against an Obama-era immigration policy, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which had provided protections to immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children. The decision, rendered by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, reflects the ongoing legal struggles surrounding DACA, a program that has left its beneficiaries in a state of uncertainty for over a decade. This ruling came just three days before former President Trump was set to take office, amid his promises of rigorous enforcement against illegal immigration ([AP News](https://apnews.com/article/daca-immigration-trump-deferred-action-obama-1302d284b9c4bdf3b4a5aa6a2a155e56)).

The recent ruling, while allowing more than 500,000 current beneficiaries to renew their work permits, prohibits the federal government from accepting any new applications, which threatens the longevity of the program as its pool of applicants begins to dwindle ([Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-01-18/appeals-court-daca-policy-immigrants)). This decision also raises the possibility that DACA could face another examination by the Supreme Court, which has dealt with the program in the past. President Trump attempted to dismantle DACA during his first term, although he occasionally conveyed support for its existing beneficiaries.

The current case involves an updated version of DACA introduced by President Biden in 2022. Although the new rule did not significantly alter the original provisions from 2012, it underwent a public comment period to better position it against legal challenges. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled that the executive branch overstepped its authority by issuing DACA and specifically barred the government from approving new applications, although existing recipients' protections remain intact while the appeals process unfolds.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, leading the charge against DACA on behalf of several Republican states, hailed the court's decision as a substantial victory. He expressed optimism about working with President Trump to re-establish what he termed the "rule of law" and to combat what he described as an "illegal immigration crisis." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond formally to the ruling.

Since DACA's inception, the policy has faced a series of legal battles, including two major decisions by the Supreme Court. In 2016, the Court was deadlocked over the program, while a 2020 ruling determined that the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate DACA was improper due to procedural missteps. As the future of DACA remains in limbo, this latest ruling contributes to the ongoing national dialogue around immigration policy and enforcement ([AP News](https://apnews.com/article/daca-immigration-trump-deferred-action-obama-1302d284b9c4bdf3b4a5aa6a2a155e56)).