US President Donald Trump has decided to scrap a programme that protected young migrants from deportation
Justice Secretary Jeff Sessions said it would be an 'orderly, lawful wind-down'
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was introduced five years ago by President Barack Obama
It protects about 800,000 people who were brought to the US illegally by their parents
Mr Trump has given Congress six months to draft an alternative
While campaigning, Mr Trump took a hard-line on immigration and vowed to end Daca
Image source, GetA press release from the justice department outlines the details of how the Trump administration will wind down Daca:
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"I strongly believe that children who were illegally brought into this country through no fault of their own should not be forced to return to a country they do not know," says Senator John McCain, from the border state of Arizona.
Mr McCain disagreed with Obama's 2012 executive order, but says "rescinding DACA at this time is an unacceptable reversal of the promises and opportunities that have been conferred to these individuals".
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke says in a statement the decision to terminate Daca "was not taken lightly".
Duke said they were faced with two options: - winding the programme down or having it shut down immediately by a court.
"We chose the least disruptive option."
Both Democrats and Republicans were quick to respond to Sessions' announcement. Several members of Congress urged lawmakers to craft a plan to replace the cancelled Daca programme.
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Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has called the decision to end Daca "shameful and cruel".
"These are children of our nation who had no say in coming here," Whitehouse said in a statement.
"They’ve studied diligently and worked hard to make a better future for themselves and their families. They’ve given back to their communities."
Mr Whitehouse and many fellow Democrats support the programme. In recent days, several Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan have argued against scrapping it.
The Daca programme protects roughly 750,000 people in the US from deportation and provides temporary permits for work and study.
In order to qualify for Daca, applicants under the age of 30 submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.
They must go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in school, recently graduated or have been honourably discharged from the military.
In exchange, the US government agrees to "defer" any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.
The majority of so-called Dreamer immigrants in the US are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Dreamers wait on Trump to decide their fate
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Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesCandidate Trump promised to do away with Daca, despite warnings from a cross-party collection of politicians. Or, knowing this president, those objections from "the establishment" only make him more determined to act.
Fortunately for him, unlike repealing Obamacare or building his Mexican border wall, he doesn't need Congress's help here.
In fact, by setting a six-month fuse on Daca's destruction, Mr Trump puts all the pressure on legislators if they want to protect undocumented immigrants who entered the US as children.
While the votes may be there for some type of fix, Congress already has its hands full with other pressing issues - hurricane relief, budget resolutions, the need to authorise new government debt and, at some point, tax reform.
Mr Trump may not care, but he's putting Republicans with tough re-election races in a difficult spot. They will face angry constituents just as the campaign season gets into gear.
The president, however, satisfies his anti-immigration base with this move - and washes his hands of the matter. The loyalists who have stood by him are rewarded, others in his party be damned.
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Mr Sessions says a decrease in illegal immigration at the border in recent months "is almost entirely the product of the leadership of President Trump".
But he warns "without more action, we could see illegality rise again".
Image source, Getty ImagesThe attorney general says the administration is taking an "important first step" by ending "the previous Administration’s disrespect for the legislative process".
"We are a people of compassion," Mr Sessions says. "But there is nothing compassionate about the failure to enforce immigration laws."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has begun his remarks, announcing the end of the Daca programme.
He calls the Obama-era executive order an "unconstitutional exercise in authority by the executive branch".
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Image source, Getty ImagesProtest over the move is expected to be fierce. On Tuesday, more than two dozen so-called "Dreamers" started a four-day fast, external to highlight the importance of the programme on their lives.
Image source, Getty ImagesDaca supporters held rallies over the weekend in anticipation of the decision
Daca was created by executive order by former President Barack Obama, but has been challenged by the attorney generals from several Republican-led states.
The Trump administration is expected to use that legal challenge as their basis for revoking the 2012 order.
Welcome to our live page on the US president's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme.
The US Attorney General is expected to announce shortly he is scrapping an Obama-era programme which allowed migrants who arrived in the US at a young age to remain.
Jeff Sessions will announce President Donald Trump's decision at an 11:00 EDT (16:00 GMT) press conference at the Department of Justice. He is not planning on taking any questions.
Image source, PoolProtesters are rallying outside the White House