DACA

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), is an American Immigration policy launched in 2012 by the Obama administration calling for deferred action for certain undocumented young people who came to the U.S. as children. 

DACA allows young people who were brought illegally to the United States as children, and who meet several key criteria to be considered for temporary relief from deportation or from being placed in removal proceedings.  However DACA does not provide lawful status. 

To be eligible for DACA, applicants must meet several eligibility requirements such as: have entered the United States before their 16th birthday, be currently in school, a high school graduate or be honorably discharged from the military, be under 31 years of age, and not have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or otherwise pose a threat to national security. 

DACA is also seen to remove immigration resources and enforcement attention from “low priority” individuals who act as good citizens.

Once granted, DACA is valid for two (2) years and may be renewed, the Trump administration announced in July 2020 that participants will now only be able to renew in one-year increments.  Because of this, the total number of annual DACA renewals and approvals will increase. 

Individuals granted deferred action will also be eligible to request employment authorization document. DACA applicants go through extensive background checks, and it is granted on a case-by-case basis. 

As of June 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received 844,931 – out of 1.7 million estimated eligible candidates – initial applications for DACA, of which 741,546 (88%) were approved, 60,269 (7%) were denied, and 43,121 (5%) were pending. Over half of those accepted reside in California and Texas.