The State of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Where It Stands and Where It’s Headed

Mother holding baby outdoors

This event was held on August 19, 2026 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

Organizers and allies of the immigrant youth movement recently marked the 14th anniversary of securing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections, which at one point shielded nearly 800,000 people from deportation. Today, however, the program’s future is far from secure. DACA faces mounting renewal delays, ongoing litigation, and shifting federal policies that have left recipients in an increasingly unstable position.Since the start of 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed the detention of 340 DACA recipients and the deportation of 90. At the same time, renewal processing times have risen dramatically from an average of 15 days in 2025 to approximately 70 days at the start of 2026, with many recipients waiting several additional months for decisions. These delays have left thousands without work authorization and, in some cases, without the protections that DACA was designed to provide.More than half of the half-million active DACA recipients have grown up to become parents, meaning their current legal uncertainties directly impact their young children.  Currently, roughly 240,000 U.S. citizen children have at least one parent who is a DACA recipient.Immigrant advocacy and legal aid groups recently sued the federal government, demanding answers about the delays and their impact on recipients’ jobs, livelihoods, and legal status. This funder briefing will provide a clear, up-to-date picture of DACA’s legal status, the human toll of processing delays, and what it means for grantmaking strategies in the immigrant rights movement. 

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