5 Questions About DACA Answered

The Trump administration announced Tuesday it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, in six months if Congress doesn't find a more permanent solution.

Since it was enacted under President Obama, about 800,000 immigrants who were children when they arrived in the U.S. illegally have received protections from the program. They include stay of deportation and the ability to legally work and go to school. In a tweet Tuesday evening, Trump signaled he supports legalizing DACA, saying he would revisit the issue if Congress can't legalize the program.

Here's a look at who will be affected when DACA ends, why the program remains controversial and what happens next:

1. What is DACA?

DACA is the acronym for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program created in 2012 by Obama Administration allowing young people brought to this country illegally by their parents to get a temporary reprieve from deportation and to receive permission to work, study, and obtain drivers' licenses.

DACA applicants had to be younger than 31 years old when the program began. They also had to prove that they had lived in the United States continuously since June 15, 2007, and that they had arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16.

Those signing up for DACA must show that they have clean criminal records. They have to be enrolled in high school or college, or serve in the military. Their status is renewable every two years.

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