What Today’s DACA Announcement Means

Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the DACA program. DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was originally put into place by the executive order of President Obama in June, 2012. Currently, approximately 800,000 young people hold this status. DACA allowed people who came to the United States as children, and either pursued education here or served in the U.S. military, the opportunity to obtain work authorization and temporary protection from deportation. This temporary status lasted for two years, and was renewable indefinitely, until now. What does this new announcement mean for the 800,000 people who currently have DACA?

The DACA program will be phased out over the next several months. We urge Congress to take action now to protect DACA applicants and provide them with a path to citizenship. Anyone who currently has DACA will not have their status or work authorization immediately revoked, but cannot renew their status once it expires, with one exception. People with DACA status that will expire before March 5, 2018, can apply for to renew their status but must do so before October 5. The Department of Homeland Security issued guidance stating that new DACA applications that have already been filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be adjudicated, but any first-time DACA applications filed after today will be rejected. Anyone with DACA who is currently traveling outside the United States on advance parole (permission to leave and return to the U.S.) should return to the United States as soon as possible. New applications for advance parole will not be accepted.

Contact an immigration lawyer or legal non-profit today. The Immigrant Justice Project at the City Bar Justice Center urges all DREAMers to get comprehensively screened for other immigration relief – you may be eligible for another visa or even permanent residence.