Trump will announce his decision on DACA Tuesday

WASHINGTON — The White House now says 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 by a group of Republican state lawmakers who have threatened to challenge the program in court.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the details of President Donald Trump’s decision are “being finalized as we speak.”

She says Trump “loves people” and wants to make sure the decision is made correctly.

The White House has offered several different timelines for the announcement. Trump himself had said it would happen sometime over the weekend, or later Friday.

He told reporters, “We love the dreamers, we love everybody,” after he signed a proclamation declaring Sunday a national day of prayer for the victims of Harvey.

At issue is the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The DACA program has given nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work in the country.

Trump called the program illegal “amnesty’ during his campaign but has been torn since he took office.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and another Republican are urging the president not to rescind DACA.

Ryan was asked about Trump’s rumored move to roll back protections for such children on Wisconsin radio station WCLO. Ryan said, “I actually don’t think we should do that.”

“This is something that Congress has to fix.”

And Utah GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch sent out a statement in anticipation of a Trump announcement on Friday saying he urged Trump not to revoke former President Barack Obama’s efforts to protect “individuals who entered our country unlawfully as children through no fault of their own and who have built their lives here.”