Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) renewal processing times have extended to several months. Cesar, a recipient, lost his human resources job due to a lapse in his work authorization after waiting six months for his application to be processed. He is currently selling burritos on the street to replace lost income.

Daca, established in 2012, protects undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children from deportation. Recipients are required to submit renewal applications every two years. More than 500,000 active Daca recipients currently reside in the U.S., originating from nearly 200 countries. Cesar, who moved to the U.S. at age four, said: "We had reached the American Dream, but suddenly it vanished."

Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, deputy director of advocacy and campaigns at United We Dream, said Daca delays are impacting the workforce. "It's a mass delegalization effort to push out millions of people who have built careers, families, and homes here, and contribute billions to the US economy year after year," Macedo do Nascimento said. "We have now lost our jobs, we have lost our security. We don't feel safe being in public," he said.

Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, stated that Daca does not grant legal status. "Daca does not confer any form of legal status in this country. The agency is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens," Kahler said. Eligibility for Daca requires individuals to have entered and continuously resided in the U.S. before June 15, 2007. Applicants must also be currently enrolled in school or hold a high school diploma or equivalent degree, and have no criminal record. Litigation on the program remains ongoing.