NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee’s attorney general on Friday cited a “human element” in abandoning a planned legal challenge of a federal program that offers a reprieve from deportation to thousands of young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program created by President Barack Obama’s administration provides temporary work permits to nearly 800,000 young people.
A group of states that had included Tennessee set a Tuesday deadline for President Donald Trump to end the program or face a court challenge.
But Republican Attorney General Herbert Slatery said in a letter to Tennessee’s U.S. senators on Friday that he believes congressional action on the matter “is a better approach.”
Trump has not yet announced which approach he’ll take. Asked by reporters what he would say to young immigrants who are awaiting his move and are scared about their fate, the president replied: “I think the dreamers are terrific.”