On his first day of office, President Joe Biden signed a series of executive actions on January 20, 2021. One of those actions aims to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as young children from deportation.
President Biden signed a presidential memorandum that directs the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – in consultation with the attorney general – to do whatever is necessary under law to fulfill this task. In addition, the president’s directive also asks Congress to pass “The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,” which would give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship.
According to the legislation, individuals who are protected by DACA – as well as Temporary Protective Status (TPS) migrants and undocumented farmers – may apply for a green card immediately and ultimately apply for U.S. citizenship after three years, as long as they are working, in school, and pass background checks. For other undocumented immigrants, they may obtain a work permit and apply for permanent legal residency after five years, then citizenship three years after.
In 2017, President Trump ordered to terminate DACA. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the program should remain in place due to the former administration’s failure to follow federal rule-making guidelines to undo it. As a result, the nation’s highest court restored the program to its previous operations before its recession in 2017.
DACA was created in 2012 during the Obama administration when Biden was acting Vice President. Since then, over 700,000 people have applied for the program.
If you or a loved one is interested in applying for the DACA program in Fort Worth, contact Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC today at 888-4-ZEN-LAW for more information. Let a Plano legal team with more than 60 years of collective legal experience help you immediately!
