Efforts to End DACA Would Destabilize Communities Across America

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released today a memo on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative that would deny all pending and future initial requests for DACA and reject all pending and future applications for advance parole absent exceptional circumstances. It would also shorten DACA renewals and the accompanying work authorization to one-year, rather than a two-year period.

Today’s announcement follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate DACA and will allegedly allow DHS time to fully reconsider the DACA policy—despite having months to plan for such a decision. The memo once again brings uncertainty to hundreds of thousands of young people who arrived in the United States as children and were offered deportation protection and work authorization under DACA.

The following statement is from Beth Werlin, executive director of the American Immigration Council:

“Today’s decision to gut the DACA initiative is one that was made unilaterally by President Trump and his administration alone. The Supreme Court did not force the administration to disrupt the lives of approximately 650,000 Dreamers in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Like the rescission memos that came before it, this memo provides no good rationale for stopping DACA while it reevaluates the program, leaving thousands of young people in a cruel state of limbo.

“The president is setting the stage to end DACA in the coming months. This would throw the lives of Dreamers — who are already experiencing profound uncertainty due to COVID-19—into chaos. The administration’s narrowing of the program will disqualify some DACA recipients who have participated in the program for years. Some Dreamers will be forced into unemployment, including some who are on the front lines of our fight against the coronavirus.

“We are in a moment in history where we should be working to create stability in all communities across the United States. The president should be focused on containing the spread of COVID-19, ensuring everyone’s health and safety, and providing appropriate relief for those in need. He should be working with Congress to create a permanent solution for the thousands of Dreamers across the United States. who want nothing more than to be able to build their lives and provide for their families without the constant threat of deportation. It’s clear that the administration is not looking out for the well-being of Dreamers, whose lives are on the line. The urgency lies with Congress to pass a permanent solution.”

The American Immigration Council has a range of research and other resources on DACA, including policy experts available to speak on policies designed to protect Dreamers and what is at stake for approximately 650,000 DACA beneficiaries across the country. The Council also has data on demographic and economic contributions of DACA recipients in each U.S. state and nationwide.

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For more information, contact: 

Maria Frausto at the American Immigration Council, [email protected] or 202-507-7526.