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📌DACA renewals are experiencing delays, putting beneficiaries' employment and protection from deportation at risk.
📌Among the main causes are late applications, the resumption of biometric appointments, and additional reviews for certain applicants based on their country of origin, according to the National Immigration Law Center.
📌It is recommended to monitor the case at egov.uscis.gov/es, contact representatives in Congress, seek legal help, and consider options such as expedited processing in urgent cases.
Organizations working with immigrants from different parts of the country warned that the renewals of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) are experiencing delays. Beneficiaries of the program—immigrants who arrived in the United States without authorization as minors (dreamers)– are exposed to lose their jobs and deportation In case your DACA expires and renewals don't arrive in time, DACA protects you from deportation and allows you to apply for work permits for a period of two years.
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC), a non-profit legal advocacy organization specializing in immigration based in Los Angeles, California, explained In a March 24, 2026 publication, it was noted that “many DACA recipients are noticing something frustrating: DACA renewals are taking much longer than usual.”
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) estimates that “80% of DACA renewals are completed within three and a half months.” The Northern Illinois University Resource Center for Undocumented Students also warned about these delays on March 27, 2026.
According to USA FactsThe organization, which describes itself as “a non-profit, non-partisan civic initiative that makes government data more accessible to everyone,” had 515,600 DACA recipients as of June 2025. Eighty-one percent of them are originally from Mexico.
You may be interested in: Need help paying your DACA renewal fee? These are the organizations that offer loans.
Why do delays occur?
According to NILCThe reasons include:
- Late submissions: Some applicants may not have filed their application early enough. USCIS recommends filing between 120 and 150 days before your DACA expires.
- Appointments for fingerprinting: USCIS has resumed these appointments, which represents additional processing time.
Additional review for some applicants: Some cases are on hold, depending on the applicant's country of origin. Among the confirmed cases experiencing delays are citizens of countries included in the presidential proclamations. 10949 y 10998. These are:
| Afghanistan | Chad | Eritrea | Libya | Nigeria | Sudan | Venezuela |
| Angola | Republic of Congo | Gabon | Malawi | Palestinian Authority | Syria | Yemen |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Ivory Coast | Gambia | Mali | Senegal | Tanzania | Zambia |
| Benin | Cuba | Haiti | Mauritania | Sierra Leona | Togo | Zimbabue |
| Burkina Faso | Dominica | Iran | Myanmar | Somalia | Tonga | |
| Burundi | Equatorial Guinea | Laos | Niger | South Sudan | Turkmenistan |
Project 2025 mentions the elimination of the DACA program
El Project 2025The government proposal created by the conservative organization The Heritage Foundation proposed phasing out the DACA program for its more than 500,000 beneficiaries by eliminating staff time dedicated to reviewing and processing renewal applications, the organization indicates. League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and adds that "this will make it much harder for DACA recipients to renew their status."
President Donald Trump had publicly distanced himself from Project 2025 when he was a presidential candidate, saying he had nothing to do with those proposals, but his administration implemented several of the measures, as we told you in Factchequeado .
According to two independent initiatives that monitor the implementation of proposals from Project 2025, one from the Center for Progressive Reform -a think tanks left-wing—and otra created According to two Reddit users, 53% of the proposals in Project 2025 have been implemented so far in Trump's second term.
Related: How to renew DACA online?
What can you do if your DACA renewal is delayed?
On the NILC page, these are shared recommendations If your case is delayed:
- Check the status of your case at egov.uscis.gov/es and keeps copies of any updates.
- Contact your congressional representative and ask them to look into your case with USCIS. To contact them, go to the congressman's website and look in the "Services" section for the link to request assistance from a federal agency. Then, complete the necessary forms. If you don't receive a response, you can call their office in Washington, D.C., and inquire about the status of your request.
- Keep records of everything (such as notifications and deadlines, as well as how the delay is affecting you).
- Learn about the options available to you and discuss them with your employer if your DACA and work permit are about to expire. You can read this article NILC's questions and answers about your employment rights include the option of "unpaid leave until you can again prove that you are authorized to work."
Other tips from NILC:
- Submit an "out-of-normal processing time" inquiry to USCIS if your DACA renewal has been pending for longer than the normal processing time. You can do this by calling 1-800-375-5283 or submitting an online inquiry using [website address missing]. this form from USCIS.
- Contact the USCIS Ombudsman's Office after checking your case status online and consulting with USCIS about the delay.
- You can file a DHS-7001 Case Assistance Form online with the USCIS Ombudsman at https://cisomb.dhs.gov/oca/form7001.aspxFor further assistance, please contact us by email at cisombudsman@hq.dhs.gov.
- Contact a legal service provider. To learn how to find a legitimate immigration lawyer, you can read this. article de Factchequeado .
Attorney Kathleen Martinez, from Texas, advised to request "expedited processing of applications" for the work permit application (Form I-765) through Emma, the USCIS virtual assistant, the portal from USCIS or your congressman. This can be requested in cases of “serious financial loss to a business or individual,” according to USCIS.
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