A group of over 30 Democratic and independent senators are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to explain the government’s stance on people in the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).
DACA, started in 2012, protects certain immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children before 2007 from deportation. It currently helps around half a million people. However, a recent DHS statement to NPR suggested that DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportation and that the program does not give them any legal immigration status. The statement even urged undocumented people to “self-deport.”
The senators argue this contradicts DHS’s own guidance, which says those with deferred action are not considered unlawfully present in the U.S. while their protection lasts. They point out that DACA was specifically created to shield “Dreamers” from deportation, provided they pass background checks and meet education or work requirements.
Overall, DACA only gives temporary protection (renewable every two years) but does not provide a direct path to citizenship or permanent residency.
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