Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said Monday that President Trump and Republicans are “holding Dreamers hostage” as the deadline to pass new legislation passed.

“Donald Trump’s decision to end DACA created an unnecessary crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of Dreamers uncertain about their future. And now his arbitrary deadline has passed without any action from the president or Republicans in Congress,” Mr. Perez said in a statement.

Mr. Trump announced the end of the DACA program — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — last year and urged Congress to pass an immigration bill that included protections for those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The deadline for current DACA policy to expire was set for March 5, but court proceedings made the date somewhat irrelevant.

A federal judge in New York issued an injunction in February that blocked the administration’s attempt to dismantle the policy. The case is tied up in appeals court and will likely end up before the Supreme Court in its next term.

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