The US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday it will issue a proposed rule to preserve and fortify a programme for immigrants, nicknamed "Dreamers," who are living illegally in the United States after entering as children.
President Joe Biden issued a memo on Jan. 20, his first day in office, that directed the agency and the US attorney general to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which protects Dreamer immigrants from deportation.
"We are taking action to preserve and fortify DACA. This is in keeping with the President's memorandum," Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement.
"It is an important step, but only the passage of legislation can give full protection and a path to citizenship to the Dreamers who know the US as their home," he said.
The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives last week passed a bill providing a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, but the legislation faces an uncertain future in the deeply divided Senate.
DACA was created by Democratic former President Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president. Republican former President Donald Trump had tried to end the programme.