Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA/DAPA)

Despite the Supreme Court decision to reinstate the DACA program, on July 28, 2020, the Trump administration issued a memo indicating USCIS will (1) reject all initial DACA applications; (2) reject all Advance Parole applications from DACA recipients unless there are exceptional circumstances; and (3) shorten the DACA renewal period from 2 years to 1 year. This means that the USCIS will not accept any new DACA initial applications and plans to reject and return all initial applications submitted to date, with filing fee.

Current DACA recipients should continue to renew their cases although their protection under deferred action and work permit will be valid for only one year instead of two. If you have questions about how you or someone you know may be impacted by this announcement, please visit the Ready CA Legal Directory or Immigration Advocates Network Legal Directory.

This is a deeply troubling development as President Trump again outrageously demonstrates his belief that he and his administration are above the law and shows the president’s complete disregard for the individuals and communities who are affected by this announcement. Aspects of the memo will likely be subject to legal challenges. Further analysis and updates will be provided as soon as possible. The fight against Trump’s anti-immigration agenda continues.

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