The US Supreme Court has refused to hear a bid by the Trump administration to end protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought illegally into the United States as children.
Passed by the Obama administration in 2012, the DACA program protects about 800,000 illegal immigrants, known as "Dreamers," who were brought to the United States as children. Under the program they are protected from deportation and given work permits for two-year periods, after which they must re-apply, reports Reuters.
The Supreme Court's refusal comes after a San Francisco court issued a countrywide injunction on January 9, ordering the program to remain in place until all litigation is finalized, halting Trump's move to rescind the DACA program.
The justices did not explain their reasoning, but said the appeal was "denied without prejudice," indicating they will maintain an open mind on the underlying legal issue still being considered by a lower court, San Francisco's 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Supreme Court also said it expects the lower court to "proceed expeditiously to decide this case."