In November of 2017, President Donald Trump announced that he was terminating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Since then, hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants have been waiting for the United States Supreme Court to determine whether Trump’s declaration would stand as constitutional.
In Jun of 2020, the Supreme Court determined that Trump’s termination of DACA violated federal law. The National Immigration Law Center calls this a “Monumental Victory for DACA Recipients.”
What is DACA?
The Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals program, otherwise known as DACA, is a program established by former president Obama. Normally when people are discovered in the United States without proper authorization or documentation, they are deported immediately.
DACA, however, allows qualifying youth who came to this country as children to not get deported immediately. People on DACA have to renew their paperwork every two years, and DACA does not provide a road to citizenship, but it does decriminalize being in this country for many of those who have been brought to this country when they were young.
What happened?
In November of 2017, President Trump terminated DACA. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down this termination as a violation of federal law.
What does this mean for you?
If you were one of the many people waiting to renew your DACA privileges, that option has now been re-opened for you.
If you are one of the many people who have been hiding since Trump’s termination, waiting for a chance to apply for deferred action, it looks like this option should be reopening soon.
How to proceed
It is important to understand that there is still a lot of confusion and certainty surrounding DACA and the DREAM act. The most important thing you can do at this point is talk with an experienced immigration lawyer who understands these legal complexities and can help you avoid deportation and stay in this country.
