Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was created by President Obama on June 15, 2012. The program doesn’t confer lawful status; rather, it’s a use of prosecutorial discretion that says the government will not deport people who satisfy the below requirements.
- You must have been under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012.
- You came to the United States before the age of 16.
- You have continuously resided in the United States from June 15, 2007 to the present.
- You were present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and at the time of your request for deferred action.
- You must have had no lawful status as of June 15, 2012.
- You must be in school, have graduated or attained a certificate of completion from high school, have attained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or the Armed Forces of the United States.
- You must not have been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.
Deferred action must be renewed every two years. If someone is granted deferred action, they have the ability to work in America too.
On September 5,2017, the Trump administration announced an end to DACA. The important pieces of the announcement are below.
- As of September 5, 2017, applications for deferred action will no longer be accepted.
- Applications received before September 5, 2017 but not yet acted on will be processed.
- As of October 5, 2017, renewal requests will no longer be considered.
- Only people whose cases are subject to renewal between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, can apply for renewal by October 5, 2017.