Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration is increasing pressure on recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, despite President Donald Trump previously expressing support for protecting so-called Dreamers from deportation.
According to Axios, immigration advocates and legal experts say Dreamers are facing slower renewal processing, reduced deportation protections, and growing uncertainty surrounding the future of the Obama-era program. DACA currently protects roughly 500,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
The policy shift comes as federal courts continue weighing challenges to DACA’s legality. Earlier this year, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the program unlawful, potentially preventing new work authorization approvals for Dreamers in Texas.
Trump had previously discussed a possible bipartisan immigration deal during his first term that would have offered Dreamers a pathway to citizenship in exchange for border wall funding, though negotiations ultimately collapsed.
The administration’s tougher stance is also reflected in actions by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, now led by Joe Edlow, a longtime DACA critic who has called the program “illegal.” Renewal processing times have reportedly expanded from roughly two months to as long as six months for some applicants, leaving many in employment and legal limbo.
An April immigration court opinion also determined DACA status alone does not automatically shield recipients from deportation proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security said hundreds of DACA recipients were detained or deported during 2025, primarily involving individuals with criminal records.
Immigration advocates argue the administration is effectively dismantling DACA without formally ending the program outright.
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