Legislative Background on DACA
Recent Action in the Congress on Immigration and Dreamers
The Obama Administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012 by Executive order. The order established new Federal immigration policies that mirrored many of the provisions of the DREAM Act, which had languished in Congress since 2001. DACA indefinitely delayed the deportation of certain undocumented residents who were brought to the United States illegally as minors, provided they met a series of eligibility requirements. Trump Administration Actions. After the Trump Administration took office and inherited control over DACA, Attorney General Jeff Sessions determined that the program unconstitutionally exceeded Executive Branch authority. Thus, in September 2017, the…
