Earlier this year, the Biden administration announced plans to expand health care coverage to those enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. But the proposed change has yet to be finalized, leaving thousands of young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children in limbo.

DACA protesters pictured in file footage. (CNN)

It is expected the final decision on DACA’s future will lie in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court – that would be the third time DACA has come before the high court since it was instituted by executive order during the Obama administration in 2012.

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Every year on Match Day, medical students across the U.S. anxiously open envelopes to learn the name of the institution where they will start the next chapter of their careers. 

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One of the priorities is a bill to protect more than 600,000 so-called Dreamers under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin aims to work with Republican senators.

Immigrants protected by the DACA program, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, have been in limbo over the last few years as the program has been challenged in the courts. Now, just weeks before the next Congressional session begins some are hoping to use the lame-duck session to protect the program.

Karen Villagomez casts a ballot in Tuesday's election. (WTTW News)

“It was really exciting and I’m really grateful that I have the opportunity to use my voice this time around,” said Karen Villagomez, who cast her first ballot Tuesday.

President Joe Biden arrives to speak on updated guidance on face mask mandates and COVID-19 response, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)

President Joe Biden planned to meet Friday with six young immigrants who benefited from an Obama-era policy that protected those brought to the U.S. illegally as children. 

The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, early Monday, June 15, 2020. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

The 5-4 decision means that nearly 20,000 young people in Illinois who have legal status thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program launched by former President Barack Obama will not face the threat of deportation.

For young immigrants protected under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the future remains uncertain.

Understanding a federal court’s decision to keep the much-debated DACA program that protects young immigrants.

(Bjoertvedt / Wikimedia Commons)

Thirty-four Republican Congressman, including two from Illinois, sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan calling for “a permanent legislative solution” for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients before year’s end.

Since coming to the U.S. a decade ago, Alejandra Duran-Arreola is on the cusp of becoming a doctor.

The possibility of a DACA repeal, its impact on the Illinois health system and the future of medical students: A special report from DePaul University’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence.

President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has Illinois politicians at odds.

President Donald Trump has said he expects Congress to use the next six months to come up with a way to “legalize DACA.” But given the level of dysfunction in Congress, can that happen?

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Local reaction the Trump administration’s announcement to end the program that protected those brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

As inauguration day grows closer, so does the fear for some young immigrants that their status in the U.S. will be revoked.