Side by Side: DACA Solutions in the Dream and USA Acts

Side by Side: DACA Solutions in the Dream and USA Acts

JUNE 2018


To download the table, click on the PDF icon.


On January 13, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was once again accepting DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) renewal applications. This announcement followed a decision in the Regents of the University of California v. Department of Homeland Security court case in which the court ordered that USCIS resume accepting and adjudicating applications for DACA renewal.

Yet DACA recipients are still without a pathway to U.S. citizenship, and the DACA renewal process could become unavailable in the near future, depending on what happens in the courts. (More information about DACA-related court cases can be found in our publication Status of Current DACA Litigation.)

Members of Congress from both political parties have introduced legislation that would provide relief to certain undocumented people who came to the U.S. as minors. The Dream Act of 2017 and the USA Act of 2018 are two bills that have been considered. (For information on other bills introduced, see our publication Legislation to Protect DACA Recipients/Immigrant Youth.) Both the Dream Act of 2017 and the USA Act of 2018 include pathways to U.S. citizenship for immigrant youth, but the USA Act also includes several provisions addressing border enforcement and changes to the immigration court system, and it provides for various types of aid to Central American countries, with the aim of addressing the root causes of migration.

The table available here compares the Dream Act of 2017 with the provisions in the USA Act that would provide relief for immigrant youth. The main differences between the two bills are italicized. We highly recommend that you read the entire USA Act to become familiar with all its provisions and that you monitor activity on these bills and other, similar bills, including the introduction of any amendments to them.

To download the table, click on the PDF icon.