Biden scolds 'MAGA Republicans' after 5th Circuit Court strikes down DACA, orders no new applicants

President Joe Biden lashed out at a federal appeals court on Wednesday, after it ruled the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was illegally implemented by the Obama administration.

In a statement, the president called the decision "unlawful" and urged Congress to make permanent legislative protections to help more than 600,000 immigrants currently protected by DACA.

On Wednesday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court’s three-judge panel determined the Obama administration lacked the authority to institute the DACA program. However, the court stopped short of judicially dismantling it and said DACA migrants could continue to receive legal protections.

"I am disappointed in today's Fifth Circuit decision holding that DACA is unlawful. The court’s stay provides a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients but one thing remains clear: the lives of Dreamers remain in limbo," Biden said.

"Today’s decision is the result of continued efforts by Republican state officials to strip DACA recipients of the protections and work authorization that many have now held for over a decade," the president added.