DACA Update, Administrative Erosions

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We must urge Congress to support DACA and the Dreamers now!

About 525,000 people are currently recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). They come from nearly 200 countries of birth and live in every state. Many are teachers, nurses, engineers, technicians, construction leaders and small business owners. They contribute to our economy and are valued members of our communities. However, a series of legal challenges and recent administrative actions are steadily eroding DACA protections (for high-level details see below).

The protections afforded by DACA are becoming increasingly tenuous. If work authorization is severed from deportation deferral, it will have serious consequences for DACA recipients and their families. They could lose not only health insurance but also income in the near future.

To help, we must request members of Congress:

Contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and demand that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately stop detaining and deporting current DACA recipients, Dreamers among them.
End the uncertainty that DACA recipients, Dreamers, and other immigrant youth have faced for years and enact a path to lawful permanent residence.

They can do this by supporting the 2025 Dream and Promise Act, a bipartisan effort led by Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) along with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and original co-sponsor support from Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira (R-FL) as well as 201 other co-sponsors.

Congress has recently returned to work on the FY 2026 budget, so we are asking you to contact your legislators and encourage them to take action for DACA and the Dreamers.

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Erosion of DACA:

Of immediate concern are troubling reports that DACA recipients have been arrested and detained by ICE.
- The Guardian recently reported that Javier Diaz Santana, a deaf and mute DACA recipient, was detained during a raid at his work site, and further, that officials confiscated the tools he relied on to communicate. 4 NBC L.A. also covered his case. A longtime U.S. resident was detained by ICE and sent to” Alligator Alcatraz;” after a traffic stop, despite having legal DACA status and a valid driver’s license (La Rebublica).
- Jose Valdovinos, another DACA recipient, was detained outside a gas station while he was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by his wife. When she asked why he was being taken, agents reportedly told her, “DACA is no longer considered a legal status in the U.S.” (Miami Herald)
- Cata “Xotchil” Santiago, a long-time immigrant rights organizer, was accosted and detained as she was about to board a domestic flight in El Paso Texas. (AIC)
More broadly, legally, both a U.S. District Court in Texas and the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit have ruled that DACA is unlawful.
- In response, the government is not processing or approving new applications but for now is allowing current recipients to renew their DACA status.
- Both the District Court in Texas and the Circuit Court ruled that DACA recipients are not eligible for work authorization, but the Circuit Court limited that ruling to Texas. Pending further action by the District Court, that decision is temporarily on hold.
In addition, systemically, access to healthcare is being limited and eligibility for other benefits such as SNAP may be ended. On June 25, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a rule excluding DACA recipients from the definition of “lawfully present” for Affordable Care Act programs. (CMS)

Key Features of the 2025 Dream and Promise Act

Pathway to Citizenship for:
- DACA recipients (Dreamers)
- TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders
- DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) beneficiaries
Conditional Permanent Residency for 10 years, with a route to full Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status
Cancellation of Removal Proceedings for eligible individuals
Federal Financial Aid Access for Dreamers
Protection for In-State Tuition Policies in states that offer it to undocumented students
Eligibility for Relief While Abroad, allowing Dreamers outside the U.S. to apply
Safeguards During Application Process, including protections against deportation while applications are pending

References

1. Immigration advocates alarmed over detention of Daca recipient: ‘No legal basis’ | US immigration | The Guardian

2. DACA immigrant with disabilities recalls ‘terrifying’ ICE arrest – NBC Los Angeles

3. ICE arresta a inmigrante mexicano con discapacidad auditiva y sordera: fue aislado y encerrado en un centro de detención de Texas | Inmigración | La República

4. DACA recipient sent to Alligator Alcatraz, attorney says | Miami Herald

5. DACA Recipients Keep Getting Detained, Despite Protections - American Immigration Council

UU Grounding

As of General Assembly 2024, as Unitarian Universalists, we have agreed to “adopt new language on core religious values.” We agree love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. The values we share include all the following, which we hold as inseparable and deeply interconnected: Interdependence, Pluralism, Justice, Transformation, Generosity, and Equity. (Read more on the Article II revision process.)

With these agreed core religious values in mind, we also ground our call for action in support of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the following Unitarian Universalist Statements of Conscience and Actions of Immediate Witness:

Protect the Dreamers, the Recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) with a Pathway to Permanent Residence, 2023 Action of Immediate Witness
Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action, 2021 Statement of Conscience
Protect the Rights of Immigrants and Asylum Seekers, 2019 Action of Immediate Witness
End Family Separation and Detention of Asylum Seekers and Abolish ICE, 2018 Action of Immediate Witness
Build Solidarity with our Muslim Neighbors, 2016 Action of Immediate Witness
End Immigrant Child and Family Detention Now, 2015 Action of Immediate Witness
Immigration as a Moral Issue, 2013 Statement of Conscience

Tell Congress to act for DACA and the Dreamers now!

They should:

Admonish DHS
End the persecution
Pass the 2025 Dream and Promise Act

Congress, take action for DACA

Subject: Support DACA and pass the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 (H.R.1589)

Message:

I am a constituent and supporter of DACA and the Dreamers. For me, my support is grounded in my faith. I urge you to support the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 (H.R. 1589) as a crucial step. Specifically, I am urgently and deeply concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are failing to uphold the legal protections for DACA beneficiaries. Recent reports indicate that DACA recipients have been unjustly detained and facing possible deportation, including: - Javier Diaz Santana, a deaf and mute DACA recipient, was detained at work, losing his communication tools. - Jose Valdovinos was taken by agents while riding with his wife, who was told, “DACA is no longer considered a legal status in the U.S.” - Cata “Xotchil” Santiago, an immigrant rights organizer, was detained before a flight in El Paso, TX. DACA allows recipients to live and work in the U.S., and many have built strong community ties. I urge you to contact DHS and ICE to stop these actions and ensure they do not continue. Additionally, I am concerned about the future of DACA after the Fifth Circuit ruling declared DACA recipients ineligible for employment authorization, coupled with efforts to deny them federal benefits. This could lead to a de facto cancellation of DACA, affecting health insurance and job security for many families. Again, I urge you to support the American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 (H.R.1589) to end the uncertainty faced by Dreamers and immigrant youth.

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