‘Dreamers’ Are Losing Their Jobs Waiting for Renewals Under Trump: ‘It Feels Like a Personal Attack’

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The processing delays come at a time when Daca Dreamers are face growing hostility from the Trump administration. Hundreds of Daca holders have been arrested by federal immigration enforcement and several have been deported over the last year amid the White House’s broader immigration crackdown.

Though the White House has said it is targeting immigrants with criminal records, a Guardian analysis from earlier this year found 77% of people who entered deportation proceedings in 2025 had no criminal conviction.

More than 500,000 active Daca recipients reside in the US from nearly 200 different countries. To be eligible for the program, an individual must have entered and resided in the US before 15 June 2007, either in school or have a high school or equivalent degree, and no criminal record.

Donald Trump attempted to eliminate the Daca program during his first term, but was ultimately blocked by the supreme court in 2020. Despite the ruling, litigation against Daca is ongoing and the administration has remained focused on targeting program recipients through new work restrictions and processing delays, immigration advocates said.

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Along with the processing delays, the Trump administration recently proposed a new rule that would impose new work authorization restrictions on Daca holders, including a requirement that their employer be enrolled in using E-Verify. It also implemented a rule that prohibits Daca holders from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.

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In a statement, Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that “Daca does not confer any form of legal status in this country” and that the agency “is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens”.

Immigration advocates point out that lawmakers in Congress can support Daca recipients by passing the Dream Act, a bipartisan bill that would grant recipients with permanent residential status and a pathway to citizenship.

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