DACA renewal delays under Trump spark lawsuit

Administration DACA renewal delays under Trump spark lawsuit Comments: by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/26/26 3:35 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/26/26 3:35 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients sued the federal government Thursday, citing significant delays in renewals of their status under the Trump administration.

Those brought to the U.S. as children rely on the status, created under President Obama, in order to secure work permits as well as a lawful pathway to remain in the U.S.

“People shouldn’t lose jobs and livelihoods because of unexplained government delays,” Hillary Li, counsel at Justice Action Center, which is among the groups leading the lawsuit, said in a statement.

“We asked a simple question: what changed, and why are DACA recipients facing mounting delays despite doing everything the U.S. government has asked of them? The Trump administration’s refusal to provide answers leaves us no choice but to go to court.”

DACA recipients must renew their status every two years. The suit was brought on behalf of numerous plaintiffs who followed recommendations to apply to do so at least 120 days in advance of their status expiring.

“Yet DACA recipients who follow this guidance are finding their current DACA grants lapse before their renewal requests are adjudicated, with potentially life altering consequences that can include exposure to deportation, loss of work authorization, loss of education opportunities, and loss of employment (including employment that may provide a pathway to lawful status), or an accrual of unlawful presence that compromises their ability to obtain various forms of immigration relief,” the suit states.

One group involved in the suit has filed DACA renewals on behalf of 500 clients this year, only to have 319 still pending after more than six months.

In one instance, a 26-year-old medical school graduate is now unable to begin his residency in anesthesiology because his DACA renewal has not yet been adjudicated.

The suit was filed on a day the Trump administration scored significant legal victories at the Supreme Court that rolled back immigration protections.

The high court sided with Trump in allowing the Department of Homeland Security to rescind Temporary Protected Status, a form of protection from deportation, that the administration has sought to end for citizens of Haiti and Syria.

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