Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during a conference in Mexico City, Mexico, Jan. 11, 2017. (Xinhua file photo)
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Thursday asked the United States to find a permanent solution for the beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, most of which are of Mexican origin."
Pena Nieto made the remarks while speaking by phone with the U.S. President Donald Trump. In turn, Trump was optimistic that the U.S. Congress "would reach a solution for the young people that are today under this program," the Mexican presidential office said in a statement.
During the phone conversation, Trump "expressing his condolences and solidarity to Mexico for the damages caused by the earthquake and Hurricane Katia," while Pena Nieto expressed his solidarity with the U.S. for the impact Hurricane Irma had on the U.S. state of Florida, the statement added.
Last week, the U.S. government announced the end of DACA, a program passed by Barack Obama to protect almost 800,000 undocumented migrants from deportation.
Beginning in June 2012, DACA stopped thousands of young people who came to the U.S. as minors, also known as Dreamers, from being deported and allowed them to work if they have a high school diploma and a clean criminal record.
According to government and academic research, the decision to revoke DACA will affects over 700,000 Mexican citizens in the U.S.
