US judge rules against Biden DACA regulation for 'Dreamer' immigrants

A U.S. judge on Wednesday ruled against a program offering deportation relief and work permits to immigrants brought to the country illegally as children, known as "Dreamers," despite an attempt by President Joe Biden's administration to bolster the program's standing with a new regulation.

The decision by Texas-based U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen deals a fresh setback to the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and its 579,000 enrollees and other immigrants who might have hoped to be approved.

Hanen, a Republican-appointed judge, found that a regulation issued last year by Biden's administration did not remedy legal deficiencies that led him to find DACA unlawful in 2021 and block any expansion of the program, which has been in place for more than a decade.