Judge Demands Biden Administration Stop Accepting DACA Applications

The DACA Program has seen a lot of changes over the years. Recently, a federal judge has ruled that the program was created illegally. Read on to learn more about the program and what this could mean for the future of DACA.

What Is the DACA Program?

DACA, which stands for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was created in 2012 to provide qualified individuals who were brought to the United States illegally as children with temporary protection from deportation.

DACA’s Timeline

• June 12th, 2012
  • The Secretary of Homeland Security announced that certain people who came to the United States as children and met certain criteria could request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years.
• November 20th, 2014
  • The Obama Administration expanded DACA. This included eliminating the age cap that had been included in the requirements and extending application deadlines.
• October 5th, 2017
  • On October 5th, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped accepting DACA applications. A memo was issued by the Department of Homeland Security, rejecting all pending and future initial requests for DACA. Additionally, the memo limited the benefits of current DACA beneficiaries. For example, they may only receive one-year renewals of their DACA status, rather than the previous two-year extensions.
• January 20, 2021
  • President Joseph Biden passed an executive order to preserve and fortify the DACA program.

Is DACA Ending?

According to CNN.com, “A federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is unlawful. The decision, by US District Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas, injected uncertainty into the lives of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, as well as their families.”

While the administration has been ordered to stop accepting new applications, those already enrolled in the program should be unaffected for now.

If you have any questions or concerns, reach out today to speak with an experienced and dedicated immigration attorney.

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Katona & Associates, PLLC is an experienced, highly dedicated New York City immigration law firm located in lower Manhattan. Our firm works with clients in all matters of immigration law, including employment immigration, family immigration, deportation defense, green cards, and citizenship. Contact us to discuss your case and get the help you need.