It's time for the Trump administration to set a new course after its unsuccessful efforts to both boost border security and fashion a humane and realistic path forward for the millions of immigrants in our country illegally.

This is a big task, and the best way to begin is to start small and on an aspect of immigration reform that many Americans already agree on. That is, to start by ending its defense of the administration's decision last September to repeal and replace the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. President Donald Trump's predecessor created DACA six years ago to provide temporary protection from deportation to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to this country illegally as children. It also made them eligible to be hired by U.S. employers, which American businesses have done in great numbers.

These are the young people whom Trump promised to help when he announced he was canceling DACA. "We love the Dreamers," he said last Sept. 1, days before his decision was announced.

The administration knew that by ending DACA, it risked plunging families, schools, workplaces and communities into disarray. Trump wisely announced he'd delay implementation of his decision six months so Congress would have time to fashion a sturdier remedy to replace the executive action President Barack Obama had relied on.

Efforts in Congress by both parties to replace the DACA program with legislation have failed. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is shown speaking at a rally supporting the Dream Act in Washington on Jan. 21, 2018. (Zach Gibson / The New York Times)

We believe legislation is the superior method of addressing these residents, many of whom have been here since they were young children and through no fault of their own. A legislative solution could also be the building block for farther-reaching immigration reform.

But politicians in Congress have failed to make use of the six months Trump gave them. And the president helped scuttle potential compromises by his own mercurial shifts on the issue just when lawmakers were trying.

The deadline passed months ago, but the program lingers on in a kind of limbo. The government is no longer accepting new beneficiaries, but it has been stopped by a litany of federal courts from doing away with existing protections. Federal judges in New York, California and Washington, D.C., have blocked efforts to implement the president's decision.

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge John Bates, an appointee of President George W. Bush, ordered the Trump administration to restart the stalled DACA program within 20 days. The administration quickly filed notice that it will appeal.

The smart move for the administration would be to start over in trying to replace DACA. Let the program resume, and in the meantime let the president take another crack at brokering a deal in Congress. It's what he promised to do, and it's what leadership on this issue requires.

Legal thicket surrounding DACA

June 15, 2012: In a Rose Garden speech, Obama announces two new programs aimed at protecting some immigrants from deportation. DACA is one.

Attorney General Ken Paxton sends letter from 10 states urging Trump administration to rescind DACA or face a lawsuit.

Citing the threat of litigation, the Trump administration announces DACA will end in six months.

In three rulings, federal judges in New York, California and Washington, D.C., block the decision from taking effect.

The Washington, D.C., judge rules again that the decision canceling DACA was improper. He orders U.S. to begin accepting new beneficiaries with 20 days.

Administration files notice of intent to appeal.

What's your view?

U.S. judge in Houston hears lawyers' arguments in a suit brought by Texas and seven other states that want DACA declared unconstitutional.

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