U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will not prioritize the deportations of immigrants who received protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele NielsenDHS IG won't investigate after watchdog said Wolf, Cuccinelli appointments violated law Appeals court sides with Trump over drawdown of immigrant protections Democrats smell blood with new DHS whistleblower complaint MORE said.

"It's not gonna be a priority of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize their removal," Nielsen told "CBS This Morning." "I've said that before. That's not the policy of [Homeland Security]."

She said that DACA recipients who are registered and obey the law would not be considered a priority for removal from the U.S. if lawmakers are unable to strike a deal enshrining the program's protections into law.

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"If you are a DACA that's compliant with your registration, meaning you haven't committed a crime, and you in fact are registered, you're not priority of enforcement for ICE should the program end," she said.

President Trump Donald John TrumpObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Planned Parenthood: 'The fate of our rights' depends on Ginsburg replacement Progressive group to spend M in ad campaign on Supreme Court vacancy MORE rescinded the Obama-era program, which offered temporary reprieve from deportation and permission to work to certain immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children, in September.

But lawmakers have struggled to strike a deal that would codify DACA's protections, raising fears among some immigrants that they could be subject to deportation once the program ends.

Trump has said that any deal on DACA also needs to increase border security and provide funding for his long-promised wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Nielsen told "CBS This Morning" that she hopes members of Congress reach a deal on legislation to cover the program, which has provided protections to roughy 800,000 immigrants, often called "Dreamers."