What is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program?
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was announced by Pres. Barack Obama on June 15, 2012. The unconstitutional executive amnesty granted qualifying illegal aliens postponement from possible immigration action and 2-year renewable work permits.
On September 5, 2017, Pres. Trump announced that he was rejecting all initial requests for DACA filed after September 5th, and announced that DACA renewals would only be processed if filed prior to October 5, 2017. Further, he authorized DACA recipients with benefit expiration dates prior to March 5, 2018, to also file for renewal prior to the October deadline.
What are the requirements for DACA?
To be eligible for DACA, illegal aliens must meet the following conditions:
- entered the U.S. under the age of 16,
- be under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012,
- maintained continuous presence in the U.S. since June 15, 2007,
- be enrolled in high school or have graduated from high school or hold a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the military, and
- have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or 3 or more misdemeanors occurring on separate dates from separate acts and does not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
Is DACA constitutional?
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to regulate immigration to the United States, and Pres. Obama said himself, prior to creating DACA, that he did not have the authority to grant an executive amnesty to a class of illegal aliens.
Federal courts have struck down Pres. Obama’s related executive amnesty, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), on constitutional grounds. In June 2017, Texas and nine other states threatened a lawsuit against DACA if the program wasn’t terminated by September 2017.
How many DACA applications have been received?
897,605 initial applications
968,443 renewal applications
How many illegal aliens have received DACA?
793,026 have received initial approval
895,574 have received renewals
What percentage of DACA applications have been denied?
7.9% of initial applications reviewed were denied
0.8% of renewals reviewed were denied
Source: USCIS, Number of Form I-821D by Fiscal Year, June 30, 2017
