On September 5, 2017, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to phase out and eventually end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) over two and half years. This means that, as of September 5, 2017:
- USCIS will continue to process all pending INITIAL applications ACCEPTED as of September 5, 2017.
- USCIS will reject all other new INITIAL applications.
- USCIS will continue to process all pending RENEWAL applications that have already been filed.
- USCIS will continue to accept and process RENEWAL applications until October 5, 2017 from applicants whose
DACA expires between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018. DACA recipients whose DACA has already
expired are no longer eligible to renew.
- USCIS will reject all INITIAL and RENEWAL applications received after October 5, 2017.
IMPORTANT: Individuals with a current, unexpired grant of DACA will continue to hold DACA until it expires. This means that current DACA recipients maintain their protection from deportation and work permit until their current expiration date. USCIS will not refer DACA recipients and applicants to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation unless they meet USCIS’ Notice to Appear guidance or post a risk to national security or public safety. Applicants with currently pending and processing applications should attend biometrics appointments and respond to any requests for additional evidence they receive from USCIS.
For more information about see this advisory by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center: https://www.ilrc.org/advisory-daca. (Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Arabic).
