Trump Decision On DACA Program For Immigrant Children Coming Tuesday

WASHINGTON (CBS SF/AP) -- The White House said Tuesday is the day the president will announce a decision on the fate of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

That's the deadline set set by a group of Republican state lawmakers, who are threatening to challenge the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in court if the administration does not start to dismantle it by then.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Friday the details of President Donald Trump's decision were "being finalized as we speak."

"We're actually going to make that announcement on Tuesday of next week," said Sanders. "And the president's priorities on immigration are to create a system that encourages legal immigration and benefits our economy and American workers. The president's been very clear he loves people and he wants to make sure that this decision is done correctly."

The White House has offered several different timelines for the announcement. President Trump himself had said it would happen sometime over the weekend, or later Friday. He later siad the announcement would likely come Monday at the latest.

Established by President Barack Obama, the DACA program has given nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work in the country.

Trump has called the program illegal "amnesty' and repeatedly promised to end it during his campaign, but has been torn since he took office.

Meanwhile, 10 House Republicans wrote a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan saying it would be wrong to deport hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children and that Congress should act on the issue.

The Republicans, several in swing districts, said they were willing and ready to find a solution no matter what action Trump takes.

Among those signing the letter were Reps. Jeff Denham and David Valadao of California, and Carlos Curbelo and Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida.

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