LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to end legal protections for young immigrants, but the ruling may give the immigrants, known as "Dreamers," only a temporary reprieve.
"This was extremely lucky," said Omar Salinas-Chacón, one of the estimated 650,000 young immigrants covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
While the Supreme Court deliberated the DACA case Thursday morning, Salinas-Chacón thought he might be forced to pack his bags later that day.
Omar Salinas-Chacón
"That's seriously a thought I had when going into work," he said.
Salinas-Chacón's family came to the U.S. from El Salvador almost 20 years ago, after the family of business owners became targets of gang violence.
"It led to the kidnapping of my dad and grandpa, and we had to pay a ransom to get them out," Salinas-Chacón said. "At that point we were out of money, and the gang still wanted more from us."
The family came to the U.S. on a tourist visa and stayed after it expired, remaining in the U.S. undocumented. The kids were accepted into the DACA program in 2012.
"DACA was created as a Band-Aid to protect some of us while Congress debated immigration reform," said Salinas-Chacón. "Unfortunately since 2012, it never came."
Legal experts said the court's ruling came down to a technicality.
Enid Trucios-Haynes
Enid Trucios-Haynes, an immigration law professor at the University of Louisville, said the federal government did not fully explain why it thought all aspects of the program were unlawful.
The court's 5-4 ruling does not protect DACA indefinitely.
"The Department of Homeland Security still has the authority to terminate the program, and the court acknowledged that," Trucios-Haynes said.
The Trump administration could still proceed to end the program.
"They would have to rescind the DACA program again and provide the proper rationale," said Trucios-Haynes.
In the meantime, Salinas-Chacón can breathe a little easier, knowing he can continue to stay in his Kentucky home.
"Sure, we might not live in the sense that we live normal lives like average Americans," he said. "But for today, we survive."
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