The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) was originally created with the main goal of preventing deportation for young immigrants who entered the country as children. DACA provides young undocumented immigrants with a work permit and protection from deportation. After two years, the program expires and must then be renewed. Nevertheless, as of recently, the Biden administration has been preparing to take executive action that will protect hundreds of thousands of immigrants known as “Dreamers” due to a potential court defeat that could end the decade old Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
At stake of a potential court defeat are more than 600,000 people who are protected under the DACA program. The program is being deemed “illegal” and is now undergoing controversy. After debating over various options to take independent action, the Biden administration is preparing measures that might continue to safeguard immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, but lack legal status and were given protections under the DACA program from deportation at least temporarily. If these immigrants are considered not to pose a threat to public safety or national security, the order would instruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deprioritize deporting DACA recipients and desist from doing so.
