Trump is ending DACA. What happens now?
After days of uncertainty, President Trump made it official Tuesday that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is being rescinded. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in an announcement that the program, which former President Barack Obama introduced via executive action in 2012 to protect individuals brought to the U.S. as children, was "unconstitutional."
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer accept new applications for DACA's renewable, two-year work permits. New applications that were received by Tuesday will still be considered on a case-by-case basis. DHS will also now stop issuing "advanced parole notices," which allowed DACA recipients to leave and re-enter the U.S., though those that were already issued will be honored.
For those already enrolled in DACA, renewal applications for those whose two-year work permits expire between now and March 5, 2018 will still be accepted, as long as they're submitted by Oct. 5. Those whose permits expire after March 5, 2018, will be allowed to continue working until their two-year period is up.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump emphasized in a statement that with the end of DACA, the administration's "enforcement priorities remain unchanged." "We are focused on criminals, security threats, recent border-crossers, visa overstays, and repeat violators. I have advised the Department of Homeland Security that DACA recipients are not enforcement priorities unless they are criminals, are involved in criminal activity, or are members of a gang," Trump said in a statement. However, The New York Times' Vivian Yee noted that while DACA holders may not be directly targeted, they will "be treated like anyone else in the country illegally — putting them at risk of deportation under Trump."
Now that the announcement has been made, the Trump administration will offer "a partial delay to give Congress a chance to address the issue," The Washington Post reported. It's not clear what the Trump administration's plan is if Congress doesn't pass immigration legislation within six months.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Political cartoons for November 8Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include narco boats, and the new Lincoln monument
-
Why Trump pardoned crypto criminal Changpeng ZhaoIn the Spotlight Binance founder’s tactical pardon shows recklessness is rewarded by the Trump White House
-
Sudoku medium: November 8, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Has Zohran Mamdani shown the Democrats how to win again?Today’s Big Question New York City mayoral election touted as victory for left-wing populists but moderate centrist wins elsewhere present more complex path for Democratic Party
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters