Young Koreans Face Deportation as U.S. Scraps 'Dreamers' Program

People rally in Irvine, California on Tuesday against the Trump administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). /AP-Yonhap

Young undocumented Koreans in the U.S. face deportation after U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped the "Dreamers" program that protects illegal immigrants who were taken to the U.S. as children.

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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, introduced by President Barack Obama in 2012, allows unauthorized immigrants aged between 15 and 30 who arrived in the U.S. as children with their parents to continue their studies or work in America.

About 880,000 undocumented immigrants, including 7,250 young Koreans, are at risk of deportation. The total number of Koreans could reach 17,000 if those who have not applied for DACA yet are included.

Trump said in a statement, "I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents".

But he added, "As president, my highest duty is to defend the American people and the Constitution of the United States of America... Officials from 10 states are suing over the program, requiring my administration to make a decision regarding its legality".

He has given Congress six months to come up with a legislative solution to prevent chaos.

The scrapping of the program sparked huge protests across the U.S., including Denver, Los Angeles, and New York.