US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced that President Donald Trump will scrap an Obama-era programme that had allowed some young undocumented immigrants to remain in the US.
US President Donald Trump appears poised to strike a bipartisan deal that could allow some young undocumented immigrants to remain in the country.
Last week he decided to scrap an Obama-era programme shielding them from deportation.
But Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer say they have agreed with him to "enshrine the protections of Daca into law quickly".
Mr Trump said they were "fairly close" to a deal, if border security measures are included.
What is Daca?
What is Daca?
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme shields an estimated 800,000 children of undocumented immigrants from deportation under a 2012 executive order created by former President Barack Obama.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme affects an estimated 800,000 young people who entered the US without documents as children.
The programme not only protects the so-called "Dreamers"" from deportation but also provides work and study permits.
Most of them are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
A 2012 executive order created by former President Barack Obama shields the so-called "Dreamers" from deportation and provides work and study permits.
In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 are required to submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security, including addresses and phone numbers.
In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 are required to submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security, including addresses and phone numbers.
They must go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in school, recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.
They must go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in school, recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.
In exchange, the US government agrees to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.
In exchange, the US government agrees to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.
Majority of Daca recipients are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Who has to leave?
Who has to leave?
Mr Trump's plan would allow those who have current work permits to stay for up to two years, but would bar companies from renewing those permits or issuing new ones.
Right now it is not clear who - if anyone- will have to leave.
However, Mr Trump will delay the cancellation for six months in an effort to give Congress enough time to enact a replacement plan for Daca recipients, according to reports in US media.
Mr Trump's plan was to allow those with current work permits to stay for up to two years, but bar companies from renewing those permits or issuing new ones.
No current Daca recipients will be affected by the decision before 5 March 2018 but no new applications will be taken, the justice department said in a statement after Mr Sessions' announcement.
However, Mr Trump said he would delay the cancellation for six months in an effort to give Congress enough time to enact a replacement plan for Daca recipients.
And with Republicans unable to agree a way forward on immigration for years, there is a strong chance the scheme will end.
But as Republicans have been unable to agree a way forward on immigration for years.
About 1,000 DACA recipients would lose their jobs each day until 2018, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's non-profit organisation, Fwd.us.
Officials said existing Daca recipients whose legal status expires by March 2018 will still be able to renew their two-year period of legal status as long as they apply by early October.
An estimated 10,000 students across 11 states would lose their teachers if Daca was cancelled, Teach for America spokeswoman Kathryn Phillips told the OC Register newspaper.
Who is for and against ending Daca?
She said 190 teachers who have gone through the Teach for America leadership are Daca recipients.
Two out of three US adults back Daca, according to a recent survey.
Why now?
Democrats strongly support the programme, and are joined by moderate Republicans.
The president has been under mounting pressure to deliver on his campaign promise of ending the Obama-era programme.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said: "These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don't know another home."
He has since softened his tone on the so-called "Dreamers", but Mr Trump faces a deadline imposed by Republican prosecutors in nine states who have threatened to sue the president if he does not cancel the programme by Tuesday.
Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted: "250 of my Apple co-workers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and several other Republican leaders argue Daca was unconstitutional and an abuse of the president's executive power.
But President Trump's right-wing supporters are infuriated by the suggestion that he could ultimately protect Daca recipients.
Who is opposing the plan?
During his campaign he repeatedly said all undocumented immigrants would "have to go".
Democrats have overwhelmingly railed against ending the programme, but more recently several Republicans have urged President Trump to keep it in place.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, one of the Republicans who threatened to sue the Trump administration, wrote a letter on Friday to two state senators pulling his support for the lawsuit due to the "human element".
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has also taken a stand against ending Daca.
"These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don't know another home," he said on Friday.
Mr Ryan joined Republican Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona as well as Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Trump supporter, in backing Daca.
Faith leaders have also stepped forward in support of Daca while business executives have urged the president to keep the programme.
Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted: "250 of my Apple coworkers are #Dreamers. I stand with them. They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values."
What happens now?
What happens now?
The issue is likely to divide Congress, where some lawmakers are scrambling to find a solution for Daca recipients.
If the programme is dismantled, the so-called "Dreamers" would again become undocumented, losing their work permits, health insurance and in some states, their driver's licences.
A small group of Republican lawmakers is reportedly crafting a conservative version of Daca that would provide so-called "Dreamers" with a path toward citizenship, according to US local media.
If their protections were "enshrined into law", as announced, that could mean the resurrection of Daca or a similar programme.
A separate, bipartisan bill, known as the Bridge Act, extends Daca protections for three years while Congress negotiated a permanent replacement plan.
The Bridge Act, introduced earlier this year but not yet voted on, would extend Daca protections for three years while Congress negotiated a permanent replacement plan.
The matter could also play out in courts if some states decide to sue the Trump administration over the cancellation.
In fact, states that were opposed to Daca successfully blocked Mr Obama's 2014 plan to expand the programme as well as provide similar protections to the undocumented immigrant parents of American-born children.
But if the programme is dismantled, the so-called "Dreamers" will again become undocumented, losing their work permits, health insurance and in some states, their driver's licenses.
