DACA Lawyers

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, was announced by the Obama Administration on June 15, 2012. The modern immigration policy aimed to allow certain immigrants brought illegally to America as children to remain temporarily in the States. Through DACA, these individuals could receive a two-year renewable period of deferred action from deportation. DACA could also help certain individuals become eligible for a U.S. work permit. Applications for the program were accepted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services starting August 15, 2012.

What Did DACA Do?

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was formed through executive action in 2012 by former President Barack Obama. Recipients, who were known as ‘Dreamers,’ had the opportunity to acquire consideration of deferred action for two years. After the initial period, the action could be renewed. Like Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), individuals could request DACA status if they met certain eligibility requirements. First, the individual must be under 31 on June 15, 2012. The individual must also have come to the U.S. before turning 16 years old. To be eligible, the person must have lived in the United States since June 15, 2007.

Nearly 800,000 youth are affected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Research has shown that the program successfully increased wages and participation in eligible immigrants' labor while minimizing the number of illegal immigrant households in the U.S. who live in poverty. Other studies found that DACA helped improved mental health among DACA-eligible individuals and their children. It was also noted that no evidence showed that DACA holders were more likely to commit crimes in the United States than U.S. citizens. To be eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, recipients cannot have felonies on their records or serious misdemeanors.


It is important to understand that the grant of deferred action does not grant legal status to eligible applicants. It also does not remedy an applicant’s prior periods of unlawful presence. However, applicants granted deferred action are deemed to be accruing unlawful presence in the United States throughout the time the deferred action is in effect. In some cases, an application for deferred action will be denied. In this case, you cannot file an appeal. However, the applicant does have the option to file again. However, any application fees will also need to be paid again.

Why Did DACA End?

In September 2017, the Trump Administration announced its plan to phase out DACA for current recipients. While Trump stated that no new requests would be granted, a lower court order required the continuation of renewal applications acceptances for those currently under the program. In early 2018, Trump released the “four pillars” of immigration reform, which provided a provision for legal status for Dreamers and other individuals who would be eligible for DACA status. This was estimated to include 1.8 million people. However, the Senate rejected the plan. Although the end of DACA is near, polls released from an NBC News poll concluded that 62 percent wanted it to continue, while just 19 percent agreed to end it.

Contact us online or at (703) 506-1400 to get started on your immigration case.

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