Homeland Security rules will take effect October 31.
President Biden’s administration through the Department of Homeland Security finalized a rule to transform the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy that will affect more than 600,000 so-called “Dreamers.” Rather than a policy, the program will now be a federal regulation intended to protect DACA from legal challenges that imperil its existence.
The 453-page rule that will codify the program is set to take effect on October 31. The program was established during President Obama’s administration and has been governed by a 2012 memo.
Government data show that, since its inception, DACA has allowed hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children to legally live and work in the country without threat of deportation. As of March 31, 611,270 immigrants were enrolled in DACA.
“Today, we are taking another step to do everything in our power to preserve and fortify DACA, an extraordinary program that has transformed the lives of so many Dreamers,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated. “Thanks to DACA, we have been enriched by young people who contribute so much to our communities and our country.”
Secretary Mayorkas called on Congress to codify into federal law protections for DACA recipients, arguing that step “provides an enduring solution for the young Dreamers who have known no country other than the United States as their own.”
Previous efforts by some in Congress to offer formal legal protections and a pathway to citizenship for those enrolled in DACA have stalled.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Mayorkas as he implements regulations to protect enrollees in DACA.
- For the president and his advisors as they evaluate and craft immigration policy.
- For God’s purposes to be fulfilled in the United States.
Sources: CBS News, Forbes
