Trump's DACA Delays Force Migrants into Joblessness and Deportation Fears
The Trump administration's sluggish pace in renewing applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is leaving many migrants in precarious situations, losing jobs and facing the threat of deportation.
Initially established during the Obama administration, DACA has provided a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of individuals brought to the U.S. illegally as children, allowing them to work legally while remaining in the country on a renewable two-year basis.
However, recent efforts by the Trump administration to tighten restrictions on the program have put the futures of these individuals in jeopardy.
“You feel like a dog on the corner waiting for somebody to feed them,” expressed Victor Jardon-Reyes, a 33-year-old DACA recipient, reflecting on his situation after losing his job in the airline repair industry last month while awaiting renewal paperwork submitted in November.
Matthew J. Tragesser, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, stated, “Under the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens, which can lengthen processing times.”
He further clarified that “DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country. Illegal aliens claiming to be recipients of DACA are not automatically protected from deportation.”
Across the nation, advocates report similar delays in processing times. Mario Gonzalez, executive director at Fresno’s Education & Leadership Foundation, noted, “Whereas before, you would get a response within a month or two months at most, now we're into three or four months.”
As of June last year, approximately 516,000 individuals were enrolled in DACA, with significant populations in states like Texas, Illinois, and California.
President Trump has consistently sought to dismantle the program, attempting to eliminate it during his first term and continuing to undermine it in various ways during his second.
In the past year alone, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has arrested over 260 DACA recipients, with conflicting reports indicating that between 86 and 174 have been deported, sparking outrage among Democratic lawmakers.
Democrats argue that these arrests are unlawful. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus stated, “We all know these facts: DACA beneficiaries are people who, put in a difficult situation, came out and trusted the government to do the right thing.”
A 42-year-old DACA recipient is currently suing the Trump administration after being deported just one day after attending a green card appointment. Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez shared her story: “I built my life in Sacramento, raised my daughter there, and worked hard for years under DACA to support my family.”
She continued, “I followed the rules and showed up to my immigration appointment believing I was taking the next step toward stability. Instead, I was taken away from my daughter and forced out of the country overnight.”
DHS claims she had a removal order from 1998 and re-entered the U.S. illegally; however, her lawsuit contends that she never received such an order or was involved in removal proceedings.
Advocates assert that the Trump administration is systematically undermining DACA until it becomes nonviable. The administration has restricted DACA recipients from accessing Obamacare and has pursued legal action against states allowing them to pay in-state tuition at public universities.
A federal appeals court ruled last year that while the government can protect DACA recipients from deportation, granting them work permits is illegal—a decision currently under review by a federal judge in Texas.
“We have 89,000 DACA recipients who contribute $6 billion in spending power and pay $1.3 billion in taxes,” stated Juan Carlos Cerda, a DACA recipient and Texas director at the American Business Immigration Coalition. “Most of them would probably have to leave the state if they weren't able to renew their work authorization.”
