Some DACA recipients are losing their jobs as renewal applications now take five times longer to process than last year, causing many to lose their work authorization and current employment.1
Olivia came to the U.S. at three, has had DACA since 2012, and is a single mother and fourth‑grade teacher who applied for renewal in November 2025. Her work permit expired while she waited, so this Teachers Appreciation Week, she’s on unpaid leave and her students — including those with special needs — have gone without her for weeks as her family struggles to pay bills with no income.
As prices soar nationwide — crushing working families — DACA renewal delays are leaving recipients exposed to the rising threat of detention and deportation, and without the financial stability to pay for rent, groceries, medical bills, and more if their DACA renewals don’t arrive on time.
This is especially crushing for working and mixed-status families, who are left unsure if they’ll be able to return to their previous job or find new roles in an already challenging job market.
This isn’t just a few stories — it’s widespread. Renewal wait times have stretched past six months for many, the longest processing times in a decade.
Application delays are not just bureaucratic backlogs — they’re part of a broader pattern of erosion that is undermining DACA from every angle. As recipients wait months without clarity, they’re left exposed to losing work authorization, stability, and protection.
Because here is the reality: These delays are part of a cascading crisis weakening the DACA program piece by piece.
The threats to DACA are stacking up — one by one — weakening the entire program. We won’t sit back as DACA recipients are targeted and put at risk.
The moment demands our collective action and community advocacy. Whether you’re an immigrant or a citizen, if you’re a working person in this country, it is up to us to fight with and for each other.
We’ll continue working to protect DACA recipients and all immigrant youth who are being placed at risk by these policies, Bernardo. Will you join us and fuel our fight with a contribution today?
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The power to make real change starts with us — the people. We know that the strength and resilience of our communities can create a future where we can all thrive.
— Nico, United We Dream
1. “Long DACA renewal wait times leave some ‘Dreamers’ without status, a job and fearing detainment” AP News. May 1, 2026.
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