On Sept. 5, 2017, the Trump Administration announced that it would be ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as of March 5, 2018.
Update – January 16, 2018: USCIS has posted instructions on how it will begin accepting DACA renewal applications in response to a federal judge’s decision. This only applies to individuals who already have had DACA granted in the past and not to people who would like to pursue initial applications. Here is a link to their announcement. In addition, the Mission Asset Fund has announced that they are accepting applications for scholarships to pay for the renewal application fee at this link.
What is DACA? What are Dreamers?
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has been a program established by President Obama in 2012 that granted a temporary protection from deportation known as “deferred action” to undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. before the age of 16, resided in the U.S. since June 2007, and met other requirements. The 787,580 people protected under this program have been referred to as “Dreamers.”
For more general information on DACA and Dreamers in the news today, check out this article from the Guardian.
What does this mean for folks living in Washington?
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) has put together the following community advisory for community members interested in renewing their DACA applications.
City of Seattle DACA Resources – Several helpful resources from the City of Seattle
DACA Information – Spanish – Courtesy of Seattle.gov
DACA Information – Traditional Chinese – Courtesy of Seattle.gov
DACA Information – Vietnamese – Courtesy of Seattle.gov
DACA Information – Korean – Courtesy of Seattle.gov
About DACA and Employment – from National Immigrant Law Center
State Financial Aid for Undocumented Immigrant Youth – from Ready Set Grad
What Does Obama’s Directive on “Direct Action” Mean for Me? In Urdu, Korean, Chinese, Bengali – from Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund
Information from Federal Agencies
Updated Information from USCIS – from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Information Regarding Social Security Numbers and DACA – from U.S. Social Security Administration
Department of Education Resource Guide for Undocumented Students – from the US Department of Education
The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the City of Seattle also have DACA webpages with current information, resources and listings of free legal clinics.
Contact Your Representatives
- If you are interested in some civic engagement on this topic, visit this website to find your representative to let them know how you feel about this issue.
- You can also read this advice from a former Congressional staffer for tips on the most effective ways to engage with your representatives.
Stay in the Loop
For the most up-to-date information on the status of DACA, be sure to visit the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs DACA resource page.