Trump says some DACA recipients are “hardened criminals”

President Trump tweeted early Tuesday morning that many recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are “far from angels,” and some are “hardened criminals.”

The president made the statement as the country waits on the Supreme Court to determine the fate of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the U.S. with their parents illegally but as children. Despite labeling many DACA recipients as “far from angels” and some as “hardened criminals,” the president said that if the Supreme Court overturns the Obama-era policy, “a deal will be made with the Dems for them to stay!” 

The legal battle over the Trump administration’s attempts to nullify DACA, which grants protections for qualified immigrants who came as children, made its way through the courts until it reached the Supreme Court. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has the flexibility to terminate a DACA recipient’s status if they come into contact with the criminal justice system, and a serious criminal record renders individuals ineligible for renewals for relief through the DACA program.