A portrait of a young Latinx woman standing in front of a green flag.

DACA

DACA is a transformative policy allowing hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to live and work without fear of deportation.

A portrait of a young Latinx woman standing in front of a green flag.

Overview

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) allows young immigrants who grew up in the U.S. to seek temporary protection from deportation and to have the ability to work. For over a decade,  DACA has transformed the lives of more than 834,000 young people.

The road to DACA was hard-fought. Undocumented youth mobilized and organized for years before it became a reality in 2012. Since then, DACA has received broad support, becoming arguably the most popular immigration program in recent U.S. history.

Despite—or perhaps because of—DACA’s profoundly successful impact, anti-immigrant politicians have relentlessly attacked the program since its inception. As a result of these attacks, DACA recipients are forced to live their lives in chronic uncertainty.

Why It Matters

DACA recipients and immigrant youth need the permanency and stability of a pathway to citizenship. Despite many promises over the past decade and broad popular support, Congress has yet to deliver permanent protections or a pathway to citizenship.

At the same time, DACA is under threat in court, with an ongoing legal challenge led by Texas already resulting in a freeze on the granting of DACA initial requests.

Living life in two-year increments and from court decision to court decision takes a heavy toll on current DACA recipients and can have a destabilizing impact on entire families and communities.

Our Work

From drafting the original bipartisan DREAM Act in 2001 to successfully defending DACA against the Trump administration’s unlawful attempts to end it, including at the Supreme Court in 2019, NILC has been at the forefront of this fight for years, alongside immigrant youth and other partners.

Now and until we win, we will continue to defend DACA and fight for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other immigrant young people, and ultimately the 11 million undocumented immigrants who call this country home.

Home is Here Coalition

NILC is a member of the Home Is Here Coalition, which fights to protect DACA recipients and all immigrant communities. Click to learn more about the coalition’s work and access resources.

Learn more
Young immigrants rally in Washington D.C. urging Congress to protect DACA
Photo Credit: Will Martinez
Featured Resources
DACA Renewal Calculator

DACA Renewal Calculator

Oct 27, 2020 Use our DACA renewal calculator to determine the best time to submit your DACA renewal application to USCIS.

Batalla Vidal v. Wolf

Batalla Vidal v. Wolf

Batalla Vidal was the first lawsuit filed to challenge the process by which the Trump administration attempted to end DACA in 2017. NILC and our co-counsel brought this lawsuit on behalf of a nationwide class of individuals eligible for...

Last update: Sep 16, 2024

Know Your Rights Under the U.S. Constitution – No Matter Who Is President

Know Your Rights Under the U.S. Constitution – No Matter Who Is President

Jan 31, 2024 No matter who is president, everyone living in the U.S. has certain basic rights under the U.S. Constitution. Originally published in November 2016.

Steps to Take if Your DACA Renewal Is Delayed

Steps to Take if Your DACA Renewal Is Delayed

Dec 1, 2022 This resource provides guidance for DACA recipients on renewing their status and employment authorization documents, including steps to take if there are delays in processing their renewal applications. Originally published in July...

Take Action
Stand with Immigrant Youth
A woman holds a yellow sign that says
Photo Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Stand with Immigrant Youth

Urge Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.

Use your voice!