I’ve been getting a lot of messages from DACA members about the program, so I wanted to give you an update on recent events.
First, here’s a brief history about the DACA program. DACA was created by an executive order by President Obama in 2012. A little more than a year ago, in September 2017, President Trump tried to end the DACA program, but several successful lawsuits against the government have kept the program open only to people who were already DACA members before September 2017.
The USCIS is not accepting any new DACA applications at this time, and I don’t believe that they will start to accept new applications for a while. However, the various lawsuits now allow anyone who has DACA to be able to renew DACA indefinitely. There is currently no action being taken related to DACA in Congress, so any news about DACA will be coming from the progress of the lawsuits.
There are lawsuits filed by DACA holders to keep the DACA program in place, and there are lawsuits by conservative states trying to get the program terminated. On August 31, 2018, a conservative judge in Texas, that many feared would end the DACA program, allowed the program to continue. That decision is being appealed to the Supreme Court, and it’s possible that a ruling by the Supreme Court may be issued sometime next year.
However, for at least the next few months, the DACA program is safe and anyone whose DACA is expiring in the next 6 months should be able to renew their permits without worry.
As you all probably already know, the best way to ensure that DACA survives is to contact your member of Congress and tell them that you want them to Protect the Dreamers through legislation. At the time I’m writing this article, the elections in November 2018 haven’t been held yet, but if the elections turn out like I expect, the Democrats will win the House of Representatives and may win the Senate as well. If that happens, there is a very good chance that the Dreamers get legislation passed for them in the next 2 years.
So, get out there and vote Democratic on November 6th!