Originally Posted by Demise

"As a policy matter, it's straightforward: Ending DACA is unprecedented because DACA itself was more or less unprecedented. Never in US history had the government offered protection to so many people who didn't have (and weren't subsequently given) the opportunity to get full legal status from there."

Everyone forgot about the "Family Fairness" program that covered families of the 1986 amnesty applicants that were not eligible on their own. That program continued for almost 4 years until it was codified in 1990 law as "Family Unity".

That was the first blanket use of deferred action.