WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is taking months longer on average to renew legal protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in 2026 than in previous years. The number of DACA recipients waiting more than six months for renewal has increased.

A study released by TheDream.US found that since the fall of 2025, there have been fewer approvals of DACA applications, and the backlog of cases awaiting processing has increased. The study also found that USCIS has not denied any DACA applications it has processed. Renewal of work authorizations for DACA recipients previously took about two months.

"In previous years, we'd get maybe a dozen cases in which DACA recipients were left waiting for long stretches of time for their work permits to be approved," U.S. Senator Alex Padilla said. "Now, it's in the hundreds." Padilla added, "I can't see how it's not intentional."

Doug Rand, a former senior adviser to USCIS during the Biden administration, commented on the situation. "Trump's people found an end run: Just don't do the work," Rand said. USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler stated that the agency is screening and vetting all individuals more thoroughly. "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens," Kahler said. "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals does not confer any form of legal status in this country." Kahler also noted, "Illegal aliens claiming to be recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals are not automatically protected from deportation."

USCIS requires DACA recipients to renew their work permits every two years by submitting an application. The American Business Immigration Coalition organized a letter signed by over 100 organizations, calling on the administration to address the renewal delays. This letter stated that the delays are forcing employers to terminate employees who have lived in the U.S. for an average of 26 years.