DACA Recipients Face Longer Processing Times and Policy Changes

DACA recipients in their 30s and 40s are experiencing longer waits for renewal approvals and changes in program rules. , 34, said her work permit lapsed for more than a month this year, leaving her unable to drive or attend events outside Arizona. She said the delay created stress and prompted her to prepare for possible detention.

The Obama administration created DACA in 2012 to shield from deportation people brought to the United States as children. The program allows recipients to apply for work permits that must be renewed every two years. Congress has not passed legislation to replace the temporary measure with a permanent legal status.

Renewal Delays and Status Lapses U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services data show the average DACA recipient is now 31 years old, and most fall between ages 31 and 44. -citizen children. Processing times for renewals have stretched beyond six months in some cases, according to correspondence reviewed by NPR.

Salvador Macias, a DACA recipient and immigration attorney in Phoenix, said he filed his renewal five months ago and has not received a decision. He said the uncertainty affects his ability to plan for his law practice and family. Blanca Sierra-Reyes, 33, said many recipients now work as professionals and parents rather than the students the program originally described.

The Department of Homeland Security has urged some DACA recipients to leave the country voluntarily. The Department of Health and Human Services removed DACA recipients from eligibility for the federal health insurance marketplace. The Education Department opened investigations into five universities that provide financial aid to DACA recipients.

A Justice Department administrative decision ruled that DACA status alone does not prevent deportation. Between January and November of last year, ICE arrested 261 DACA recipients and removed 86, according to statements by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Two recipients deported earlier this year later returned to the United States. Yenniffer England, 32, remains in immigration detention. Processing delays and policy shifts have left some recipients without current work authorization, affecting their employment.