Deadline on 'Dreamers' to pass with no action

WASHINGTON - Congress will hit an initial deadline on Monday for resolving the fate of "Dreamers", with nothing to show for months of negotiations over nearly 2 million immigrants who arrived in the US illegally as children.

When President Donald Trump scrapped a program in September that shielded large numbers of young arrivals from deportation, he gave lawmakers six months to craft a solution.

But no deal has come, leaving nearly 700,000 young immigrants who signed up for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in potential legal limbo, and a Congress red-faced over its monumental failure.

The court system has given a temporary reprieve. Two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration cannot immediately begin deporting DACA recipients after March 5 while courts weigh legal challenges over ending the program, and that the immigrants can begin applying for renewals under the court order.

Meanwhile, immigration is all but sidelined. A recent deadly school shooting has put the issue of gun control front and center and lawmakers must thrash out a federal spending deal.

Immigration activists warn time could be running out, especially if an appeals court ends the earlier judges' injunctions with no protections locked in place.

"This is why we need Congress to pass a clean Dream Act that will protect us without criminalizing our families," tweeted DACA recipient Eliana Fernandez, referring to a longstanding legislative proposal that would grant permanent residency to Dreamers.

With partisanship roiling Capitol Hill, that appeared increasingly unlikely.

Agence France-presse