Confused About the Latest DACA News? Here’s What You Need to Know
The federal government might once again allow people to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The program has faced a series of challenges from President Donald Trump during both of his terms and from Republican-led states. For more than a decade, people have been trying to terminate the program, but their efforts haven’t worked. Here’s what the current news means for people who qualify for DACA.
The federal government is getting ready to accept new DACA applications
A court order is forcing the Trump administration to reopen the program to new applicants. Texas, however, is exempt from providing DACA recipients work permits as the case there is being heard.
The recent development in the DACA legal saga is important news for current and potential DACA recipients. Attorneys for the federal government and immigration advocates have a proposal they are sharing with a federal judge to reopen DACA applications across the country, except for Texas.
Despite the news, some are still hesitant to celebrate the new proposal because of its uncertain wording. First, the proposal states that DACA recipients in Texas are not “lawfully present,” adding a layer of uncertainty to those living in Texas in the face of mass deportation efforts. Additionally, there is a phrase that could spell trouble down the line.
Hidden within the new proposal is a provision that gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) power to make changes in the future. Embedded in the proposal to reopen DACA applications is language that raises more doubts and confusion about the program’s future. The proposal allows for DHS to make changes to the program in the future.
The program’s future remains unclear, despite the latest news
“We’ve seen a lot of folks saying initial applications will start right away. That’s not true,” Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, deputy director of federal advocacy for United We Dream, said in a statement. “The status quo stays. If you are a DACA recipient right now, even in Texas, if you can renew, you should renew as soon as possible because then you have another two years.”
Other immigration advocacy groups, like Dreamers2gether, are urging DACA recipients in Texas to consider relocating out of state. They are also encouraging people to change their address with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Republican-led lawsuit against the program is asking the Trump administration to end the program and put millions of people out of compliance with current policy. This would open up more people to the inhumane mass deportation efforts Americans have seen, tearing families apart.
“Sympathy for DACA recipients, understandable though it may be, is no substitute for statutory text or constitutional command,” the GOP-led states wrote in their filing. “Like all who reside within our borders, they must abide by the rule of law.”
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is an Obama-era policy to protect people who came to the United States as children. The program has been a major focus of President Donald Trump and Republicans since it was created in 2012. For more than a decade, the program has shielded people from deportation and allowed them to legally work in the U.S.
