Dreamers Deserve Better Than DACA
Millions of children were brought to America by their parents. These children were not given a choice. For a myriad of reasons, their parents migrated to the United States without going through proper channels. They brought their kids, who are Dreamers, with them.
At the beginning of George W. Bush’s first term, the DREAM Act was considered so these children could have a path to permanent residence, and eventually citizenship, in the country they had called home for nearly all their life. While popular, the bill was not passed. However, efforts to get legal status for these children have not stopped, and we still need to find a long-term solution.
Enter the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which was adopted by the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration. DACA shielded people from deportation when they arrived before the age of 16, were under the age of 31 in 2012, resided in the United States from June 15, 2007, to present, and either were in school, completed high school, or were honorably discharged from the Armed Forces. DACA did not protect individuals convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, more than 2 misdemeanors, or who posed a national security or public safety risk. DACA allowed people to work and have driver’s licenses, contribute to the economy and to their community without fear of deportation. DACA status had to be renewed every 2 years.1
The 1st Trump administration tried to rescind the program but was shut down by the courts.2 However, a US District Court ruled in 2021 that DACA was unlawful and suspended any new initial applications on the grounds that its implementation violated the Administrative Procedural Act.
This ruling prevented any new applications from being approved by the Department of Homeland Security but allowed current DACA beneficiaries to continue being protected from deportation and renewing their statuses every two years. The order was then appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which found that the work authorizations are unlawful, but only applied that ruling to Texas. The case was remanded to the District Court to make a ruling consistent with that decision. Around 90,000 DACA recipients in Texas will lose work authorizations once they expire.
According to forumtogether.org, “USCIS completed 35,648 DACA renewals in the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2026 – a 50 percent decrease compared to the nearly 70,000 renewals completed in the first quarter of FY 2025.” In addition, a 2026 Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision jeopardizes work permit access to DACA recipients in Texas, the second highest population of DACA recipients. The precedent may also jeopardize their status in other states.3
The dismantling of DACA shows that administrative rules and executive orders are no substitute for passing good, common-sense laws. As the current legal battle over DACA settles and immigration enforcement threatens documented DACA recipients, we need a long-term solution. We need a legislative solution that creates a stable and secure way for Dreamers to be protected from deportation and build lives for themselves. We need something better and safer than DACA for all the children who want to call this country home.
Sources
- “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): An Overview – American Immigration Council.” American Immigration Council, 15 June 2026, https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca-overview/. ↩︎
- National Immigration Law Center. “Supreme Court Overturns Trump Administration’s Termination of DACA.” NILC, 22 June 2020, https://www.nilc.org/articles/supreme-court-overturns-trump-administrations-termination-of-daca/. ↩︎
- National Immigration Forum. “Current Status of DACA: Explainer.” National Immigration Forum, 11 Aug. 2025, https://forumtogether.org/article/current-status-of-daca-explainer/. ↩︎
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