The backlog of renewal cases for DACA recipients awaiting processing at USCIS has increased dramatically, and approvals have ground to a halt.
Politico 6/20/26
Concerns are mounting on Capitol Hill and among immigration advocates that the Trump administration is quietly gutting a landmark program allowing unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as children to stay, work and study legally in the United States.
These delays are leaving hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who grew up in America stuck in legal limbo, unable to participate in the workforce and contribute to communities they call home,” Salazar said in a statement to POLITICO.Business groups are also joining the chorus of concerned parties, warning that American companies are losing out as delays in DACA renewals sideline talented, highly vetted employees and prevent Dreamers from using their skills and education productively.
DACA recipients have to renew their work permits every two years by submitting an application to USCIS, which can revoke their status if they have felony convictions or multiple misdemeanors on their criminal record.The mounting delays from USCIS are causing a number of Dreamers to lose their legal status under DACA as they wait for renewal, rendering them ineligible to work and vulnerable to deportation. In the past, renewal of work authorizations for Dreamers took about two months, but the number of DACA recipients waiting more than six months has increased significantly.
The American Business Immigration Coalition — which advocates for sensible immigration policies in the service of American companies — organized a letter released on Monday, the 14th anniversary of the program’s creation, where more than 100 organizations called on the administration to address the renewal delays and reiterated support for legislation helping Dreamers.
“The uncertainty surrounding DACA has become an operational nightmare — these bureaucratic delays are forcing employers to terminate valued, long-term employees who have lived in the U.S. for an average of 26 years,” the letter said. “This is cruel, unnecessary, and destructive to our economy, our communities, and to American jobs.