Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program refers to a federal program that provided a two-year period of deferred action to individuals who had entered the country illegally as minors. Today, there are about 800,000 DACA beneficiaries, who are called Dreamers.

While President Obama vowed to expand DACA in 2014, the expansion was rescinded in 2017. President Trump has stated that he intends to end DACA, although other rumors state that this may not be the case. Today, the future of DACA is very unknown.

If you have questions about DACA and your status as a Dreamer, please contact the experienced Chicago immigration attorneys at the law offices of Lopez & Sanchez today.

What Is DACA?

As stated above, DACA is a federal program that was created under President Obama. The intention of the program was to provide protection for individuals who entered and stayed in the United States as children. Under DACA, those who are eligible have the right to live, work, and study within the parameters of the law, because any action to deport them is deferred for a two-year period. After the two-year period, individuals are given a chance to renew their Dreamer status.

Who Are Dreamers?

Dreamers are those who benefit from DACA. There are more than two-thirds of a million dreamers in the United States today, most of whom are between 15 and 36 years of age. Those who could apply and qualify for Dreamer status were those who were younger than 31 on June 15, 2012, who came to the United States before turning age 16, who had lived in the United States continuously, and who were lacking legal immigration status.

Currently, new applications for DACA and Dreamer status are not being accepted.

What’s Next for Dreamers?

For those who currently have Dreamer status and are living legally within the United States as such, perhaps working or going to school, the idea that DACA will expire is terrifying. Indeed, unless Congress is to pass legislation that renews DACA status, those who currently hold DACA-related permits will lose legal status by March 2020.

Learn More About DACA, Immigration, and Working and Living in the U.S.

If you are an immigrant in the United States, you may have a lot of questions about what your future looks like, whether you are currently living and working legally or not. We know that a lot of questions are unanswered right now, and that the fear of deportation is very real.

If you are a Dreamer, we know that right now may be especially stressful for you. While we cannot control the decisions of the president nor of Congress, we can help you to understand your legal rights right now. We can also help you to explore other options for remaining in the country legally and avoiding deportation.

To learn more, please contact our experienced Chicago immigration attorneys today at the offices of Lopez & Sanchez. We are passionate about protecting immigrants in our country and fighting for the rights of all persons.