A third federal judge on Tuesday ruled against the Trump administration's campaign to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for undocumented immigrants, ordering the administration to not only continue processing applications but also to resume accepting new ones.

U.S. District Judge John Bates of the District of Columbia Circuit was withering in his 60-page ruling, calling the administration's attempts to end the program, known as DACA, "arbitrary," "capricious," "virtually unexplained" and "unlawful."

Bates stayed the ruling for 90 days to give the Department of Homeland Security time to come up with better arguments for scrapping the program. If it doesn't, he wrote, he will enter an order reinstating DACA in its entirety.

26 PHOTOS Protesters show support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) See Gallery Protesters show support for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Yessenia Lopez stands with supporters of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot Protesters gather to show support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot Rocio, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient shouts with supporters during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot Rocio, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient shouts with supporters during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot Demonstrators carrying signs supporting immigrants march during a rally by immigration activists CASA and United We Dream demanding the Trump administration protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) programs, in Washington, U.S., August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Demonstrators supporting immigrants march during a rally by immigration activists CASA and United We Dream demanding the Trump administration protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) programs, in Washington, U.S., August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Demonstrators carrying signs march during a rally by immigration activists CASA and United We Dream demanding the Trump administration protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) programs, in Washington, U.S., August 15, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts Dafne Jacobs, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient stands with supporters during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot MANHATTAN, NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES - 2017/08/30: Activists rallied in Columbus Circle and marched from there to Trump Tower in protest of President Donald Trump's possible elimination of the Obama-era 'Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals' (DACA) which curtails deportation of an estimated 800,000 undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Albin Lohr-Jones/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) TRUMP TOWER - FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2017/08/15: On the fifth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the New York Immigration Coalition will join its partners and immigrant New Yorkers to demand an end to discriminatory attacks on undocumented immigrant communities. Immigration advocates rally near Trump Tower on August 15, 2017; to demand Administration uphold programs that protect 1.2 million people from deportation. (Photo by Erik McGregor/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 30: Hundreds of immigration advocates and supporters attend a rally and march to Trump Tower in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program also known as DACA on August 30, 2017 in New York City. Immigrants and advocates across the country are waiting to hear President Donald Trump's decision on whether he will keep DACA which allows young people who immigrated to the U.S. as children to temporarily escape deportation and receive other benefits, started under President Barack Obama in 2012. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 30: Serafina Ha (R) of Chicago embraces Becky Belcore of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium during a demonstration in favor of immigration reform in front of the White House August 30, 2017 in Washington, DC. Organized by The Franciscan Action Network, Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries, Church World Service and Sisters of Mercy and NAKASEC, the rally began seven days of prayer and fasting to demand the Trump Administration protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protection Status (TPS). (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 30: Hundreds of immigration advocates and supporters attend a rally and march to Trump Tower in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program also known as DACA on August 30, 2017 in New York City. Immigrants and advocates across the country are waiting to hear President Donald Trump's decision on whether he will keep DACA which allows young people who immigrated to the U.S. as children to temporarily escape deportation and receive other benefits, started under President Barack Obama in 2012. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Young immigrants and supporters gather for a rally in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Los Angeles, California on September 1, 2017. A decision is expected in coming days on whether US President Trump will end the program by his predecessor, former President Obama, on DACA which has protected some 800,000 undocumented immigrants, also known as Dreamers, since 2012. / AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) Young immigrants and supporters walk holding signs during a rally in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Los Angeles, California on September 1, 2017. A decision is expected in coming days on whether US President Trump will end the program by his predecessor, former President Obama, on DACA which has protected some 800,000 undocumented immigrants, also known as Dreamers, since 2012. / AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 5: Demonstrators hold signs outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building during a demonstration in response to the Trump Administration's announcement that it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on September 5, 2017 in Washington, DC. DACA, an immigration policy passed by former President Barack Obama, allows certain undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors to receive renewable two-year deferred action from deportation and eligibility fork a work permit. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in front of the White House after the Trump administration today scrapped the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that protects from deportation almost 800,000 young men and women who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children, in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in front of the White House after the Trump administration today scrapped the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a program that protects from deportation almost 800,000 young men and women who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children, in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Rocio, a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient shouts with supporters during a rally outside the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Kyle Grillot A person from the group called "Make the Road" is detained while protesting in support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith Members of the New York City police detain people protesting in support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient Alejandro Villasenor (L), from Mexico speaks speaks with other DACA recipient s during a town hall style meeting hosted by Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL 4th Dist) speaks about protecting DACA recipients in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. September 14, 2017. Picture taken September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Lott Immigration activists and DACA recipients take part in a rally about the importance of passing a clean DREAM Act before delivering a million signatures to Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 10: Nevada Senate Majority Leader Aaron D. Ford (D-Las Vegas) (3rd L) joins immigrants and supporters as they march on the Las Vegas Strip during a 'We Rise for the Dream' rally to oppose U.S. President Donald Trump's order to end DACA on September 10, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program protects young immigrants who grew up in the U.S. after arriving with their undocumented parents from deportation to a foreign country. Trump's executive order removes protection for about 800,000 current 'dreamers,' about 13,000 of whom live in Nevada. Congress has the option to replace the policy with legislation before DACA expires on March 5, 2018. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 14: Immigration rights activists rally during a protest and press conference before a court hearing challenging the Trump administration's termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, September 14, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. A court hearing was scheduled for this afternoon in a lawsuit brought last year on behalf of Martin Batalla Vidal, who came to the United States from Mexico with his parents when he was 7 years old. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 16: Rodrigo Valencia, 3, of Waltham waves a flag as he is held by his mother Vanessa as they joined hundreds of others attending a rally in support of DACA at the Boston Common on Sep. 16, 2017. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

The Trump administration had sought to phase out the program starting last month, but two previous federal rulings stalled its efforts. Neither of those rulings — by judges in Brooklyn and San Francisco — ordered the government to resume accepting new applications for protection under DACA, making Bates' ruling the strongest one so far.

"Each day that the agency delays is a day that aliens who might otherwise be eligible for initial grants of DACA benefits are exposed to removal because of an unlawful agency action," Bates wrote.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the administration's appeal of the San Francisco ruling.

23 PHOTOS 'Dreamers' in America await their fate See Gallery 'Dreamers' in America await their fate DACA recipient Brian Caballero, 25, poses for a portrait next to the ambulance in which he lives on his college campus in Pomona, California U.S. January 25, 2018. Caballero is an electrical engineering undergraduate student in his last year of Cal Poly Pomona University. He came to the U.S. when he was five or six years old from Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said he was worried about losing DACA, "When I finally graduate, not being able to be employed, terrifies me. The vast majority of people who are unauthorised in this country are here to have a better life. The majority of people like me are just trying to seek an education and trying to improve their lives." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Martha Valenzuela, 23, sits in a coffee shop in Orange, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Valenzuela is a Cal State Fullerton graduate who came to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, when she was two years old. Valenzuela's mother crossed the Arizona desert to join her and her father in the U.S. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Brian Caballero, 25, scales a rock-climbing wall in Pomona, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Caballero is an electrical engineering undergraduate student in his last year of Cal Poly Pomona University. He came to the U.S. when he was five or six years old from Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said he was worried about losing DACA: "When I finally graduate, not being able to be employed, terrifies me... The vast majority of people who are unauthorised in this country are here to have a better life... the majority of people are like me: here, trying to seek an education and just trying to improve their lives." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Brian Caballero, 25, prepares morning coffee in the ambulance in which he lives on his college campus in Pomona, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Caballero is an electrical engineering undergraduate student in his last year of Cal Poly Pomona University. He came to the U.S. when he was five or six years old from Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said he was worried about losing DACA: "When I finally graduate, not being able to be employed, terrifies me... The vast majority of people who are unauthorised in this country are here to have a better life... the majority of people are like me: here, trying to seek an education and just trying to improve their lives." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Barbara Hernandez (L), 26, chats to a friend after eating lunch in a diner in Garden Grove, California, U.S., January 22, 2018. Hernandez graduated from Orange Coast Community College. She came to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was six years old. She worked as a special education teacher until she chose to quit after the repeal of DACA. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Barbara Hernandez, 26, poses for a portrait in Garden Grove, California, U.S., January 22, 2018. Hernandez graduated from Orange Coast Community College. She came to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was six years old. She worked as a special education teacher until she chose to quit after the repeal of DACA. "That was the most rewarding and loving job I have ever had. But with this administration and the repeal of DACA I was very scared. I was thrown into this panic stage; I was depressed. I'm concerned about how DACA recipients are feeling, their mental state. I would like to see permanent protection for not only us, DACA recipients, but for all eleven million immigrants," Hernandez said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Martha Valenzuela, 23, poses for a portrait outside her office in Orange, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Valenzuela is a Cal State Fullerton graduate who came to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, when she was two years old. Valenzuela's mother crossed the Arizona desert to join her and her father in the U.S. When she heard about Trump rescinding DACA, Valenzuela said, "It broke me. It's traumatising because I've lived in this country for 21 years. We all want a pathway to citizenship. We all want permanent protection for us and our families. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Karla Estrada, 26, poses for a portrait outside her apartment in Los Angeles, California U.S. January 23, 2018. Estrada is a UCLA graduate who works as a paralegal assistant while preparing to attend law school. She came to the U.S. from Morelos, Mexico, when she was five years old. "DACA has always been very problematic and temporary. It's not an ideal thing. It has given us the liberty to work, legally, without fear that in three months we're going to get fired because we have no social. I have to take care of myself in this country but I also have to take care of my mom and dad and brother in Mexico. The thing that scares me the most is not being able to take care of my family. I think it's important for all DACA recipients to understand that DACA or any type of legislation, although very beneficial, does not define who you are as a human being and does not give you any more or any less dignity than you already have," Estrada said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Javier Hernandez Kistte, 27, looks at his cat in his home in Los Angeles, California U.S. January 24, 2018. Hernandez Kistte is a UC Irvine graduate who now works for a visual effects company. He came to the U.S. from Mexico City when he was eight years old. Kistte said that DACA allowed him and his brother to finish their degrees by allowing them to work to pay for tuition. "My parents are still undocumented and as a family we struggle with the anxiety that it's possible for them to get deported at any moment. That anxiety has now risen with the uncertainty that me and my brother might return to having an undocumented status," he said. DACA recipient Karla Estrada, 26, walks to the station to go to work in Los Angeles, California U.S. January 23, 2018. Estrada is a UCLA graduate who works as a paralegal assistant while preparing to attend law school. She came to the U.S. from Morelos, Mexico, when she was five years old. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson DACA recipient Javier Hernandez Kistte, 27, works at his job in visual effects in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 24, 2018. Hernandez Kistte is a UC Irvine graduate who now works for a visual effects company. He came to the U.S. from Mexico City when he was eight years old. Hernandez Kistte said that DACA allowed him and his brother to finish their degrees by allowing them to work to pay for tuition. "My parents are still undocumented and as a family we struggle with the anxiety that it's possible for them to get deported at any moment. That anxiety has now risen with the uncertainty that me and my brother might return to having an undocumented status... It's not only about us. I've heard of people who are willing to negotiate terms that will give us the right to be here, give us DACA, but will make life a living nightmare for other people and I don't want that," he said. SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Javier Hernandez Kistte, 27, leaves for work from his home in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 24, 2018. Hernandez Kistte is a UC Irvine graduate who now works for a visual effects company. He came to the U.S. from Mexico City when he was eight years old. Hernandez Kistte said that DACA allowed him and his brother to finish their degrees by allowing them to work to pay for tuition. "My parents are still undocumented and as a family we struggle with the anxiety that it's possible for them to get deported at any moment. That anxiety has now risen with the uncertainty that me and my brother might return to having an undocumented status... It's not only about us. I've heard of people who are willing to negotiate terms that will give us the right to be here, give us DACA, but will make life a living nightmare for other people and I don't want that," he said. SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient and electrical engineering student Brian Caballero, 25, works on a circuit board for his lab class in Pomona, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Caballero is an electrical engineering undergraduate student in his last year of Cal Poly Pomona University. He came to the U.S. when he was five or six years old from Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said he was worried about losing DACA: "When I finally graduate, not being able to be employed, terrifies me... The vast majority of people who are unauthorised in this country are here to have a better life... the majority of people are like me: here, trying to seek an education and just trying to improve their lives." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Brian Caballero, 25, walks out of the ambulance in which he lives on his college campus in Pomona, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Caballero is an electrical engineering undergraduate student in his last year of Cal Poly Pomona University. He came to the U.S. when he was five or six years old from Guadalajara, Mexico. Caballero said he was worried about losing DACA: "When I finally graduate, not being able to be employed, terrifies me... The vast majority of people who are unauthorised in this country are here to have a better life... the majority of people are like me: here, trying to seek an education and just trying to improve their lives." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Martha Valenzuela (C), 23, sits in a coffee shop with friends Courtney Folsom (L), 24, and Mariah Osborn, 22, in Fullerton, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Valenzuela is a Cal State Fullerton graduate who came to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, when she was two years old. Valenzuela's mother crossed the Arizona desert to join her and her father in the U.S. When she heard about Trump rescinding DACA, Valenzuela said: "It broke me... It's traumatising... because I've lived in this country for 21 years... We all want a pathway to citizenship. We all want permanent protection for us and our families... The reason this country labeled us as 'Dreamers' is because we want something ? as if that dream is unattainable. No, If we can dream it, we can achieve it... It takes guts to have a dream and it takes guts to fight for it." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Javier Hernandez Kistte, 27, poses for a portrait outside his home in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 24, 2018. Hernandez Kistte is a UC Irvine graduate who now works for a visual effects company. He came to the U.S. from Mexico City when he was eight years old. Hernandez Kistte said that DACA allowed him and his brother to finish their degrees by allowing them to work to pay for tuition. "My parents are still undocumented and as a family we struggle with the anxiety that it's possible for them to get deported at any moment. That anxiety has now risen with the uncertainty that me and my brother might return to having an undocumented status... It's not only about us. I've heard of people who are willing to negotiate terms that will give us the right to be here, give us DACA, but will make life a living nightmare for other people and I don't want that," he said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. DACA recipient Javier Hernandez Kistte, 27, puts dishes in the sink at his home in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 24, 2018. Hernandez Kistte is a UC Irvine graduate who now works for a visual effects company. He came to the U.S. from Mexico City when he was eight years old. Hernandez Kistte said that DACA allowed him and his brother to finish their degrees by allowing them to work to pay for tuition. "My parents are still undocumented and as a family we struggle with the anxiety that it's possible for them to get deported at any moment. That anxiety has now risen with the uncertainty that me and my brother might return to having an undocumented status... It's not only about us. I've heard of people who are willing to negotiate terms that will give us the right to be here, give us DACA, but will make life a living nightmare for other people and I don't want that," he said. SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Karla Estrada, 26, watches a TV show at her apartment in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Estrada is a UCLA graduate who works as a paralegal assistant while preparing to attend law school. She came to the U.S. from Morelos, Mexico, when she was five years old. "DACA has always been very problematic and temporary ? it's not an ideal thing. It has given us the liberty to work, legally, without fear that in three months we're going to get fired because we have no social [security number]. I have to take care of myself in this country but I also have to take care of my mom and dad and brother in Mexico... The thing that scares me the most is not being able to take care of my family... I think it's important for all DACA recipients to understand that DACA or any type of legislation, although very beneficial... does not define who you are as a human being and does not give you any more or any less dignity than you already have," Estrada said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Barbara Hernandez (C), 26, participates in a protest for a clean Dream Act, in Anaheim, California, U.S., January 22, 2018. Hernandez graduated from Orange Coast Community College. She came to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was six years old. She worked as a special education teacher until she chose to quit after the repeal of DACA. "That was the most rewarding and loving job I have ever had. But with this administration and the repeal of DACA... I was very scared. I was thrown into this panic stage; I was depressed... I'm concerned about how DACA recipients are feeling, their mental state... I would like to see permanent protection for not only us, DACA recipients, but for all eleven million immigrants," Hernandez said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Martha Valenzuela, 23, leaves her office at lunchtime in Orange, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Valenzuela is a Cal State Fullerton graduate who came to the U.S. from Sinaloa, Mexico, when she was two years old. Valenzuela's mother crossed the Arizona desert to join her and her father in the U.S. When she heard about Trump rescinding DACA, Valenzuela said: "It broke me... It's traumatising... because I've lived in this country for 21 years... We all want a pathway to citizenship. We all want permanent protection for us and our families... The reason this country labeled us as 'Dreamers' is because we want something ? as if that dream is unattainable. No, If we can dream it, we can achieve it... It takes guts to have a dream and it takes guts to fight for it." REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Karla Estrada, 26, prepares dinner at her apartment in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Estrada is a UCLA graduate who works as a paralegal assistant while preparing to attend law school. She came to the U.S. from Morelos, Mexico, when she was five years old. "DACA has always been very problematic and temporary ? it's not an ideal thing. It has given us the liberty to work, legally, without fear that in three months we're going to get fired because we have no social [security number]. I have to take care of myself in this country but I also have to take care of my mom and dad and brother in Mexico... The thing that scares me the most is not being able to take care of my family... I think it's important for all DACA recipients to understand that DACA or any type of legislation, although very beneficial... does not define who you are as a human being and does not give you any more or any less dignity than you already have," Estrada said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Karla Estrada, 26, walks to the station to go to work in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 23, 2018. Estrada is a UCLA graduate who works as a paralegal assistant while preparing to attend law school. She came to the U.S. from Morelos, Mexico, when she was five years old. "DACA has always been very problematic and temporary ? it's not an ideal thing. It has given us the liberty to work, legally, without fear that in three months we're going to get fired because we have no social [security number]. I have to take care of myself in this country but I also have to take care of my mom and dad and brother in Mexico... The thing that scares me the most is not being able to take care of my family... I think it's important for all DACA recipients to understand that DACA or any type of legislation, although very beneficial... does not define who you are as a human being and does not give you any more or any less dignity than you already have," Estrada said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. DACA recipient Barbara Hernandez (C), 26, helps plan a protest for a clean Dream Act at her home in Santa Ana, California, U.S., January 22, 2018. Hernandez graduated from Orange Coast Community College. She came to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was six years old. She worked as a special education teacher until she chose to quit after the repeal of DACA. "That was the most rewarding and loving job I have ever had. But with this administration and the repeal of DACA... I was very scared. I was thrown into this panic stage; I was depressed... I'm concerned about how DACA recipients are feeling, their mental state... I would like to see permanent protection for not only us, DACA recipients, but for all eleven million immigrants," Hernandez said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson SEARCH "USA DREAMERS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.