DACA Recipients Brace for Deportation Risks in Trump's Second Term Amid Ongoing Legal Challenges

Amid mounting expectation around the next Trump administration's immigration policies, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, faces renewed uncertainty, especially after the Republican attempted and failed to end the program back in his first term and he has already named the face of family separations as his next "border czar."

Trump has expressed plans to implement a "much stronger" travel ban and mass deportations. His administration is reportedly considering establishing detention centers to house immigrants awaiting deportation. Concerns are widespread among DACA recipients, who fear the potential dismantling of the program or broader immigration crackdowns under a new Trump administration, as a new piece by The Associated Press reveals.

Reyna Montoya, a DACA recipient who fled violence in Tijuana as a child, told AP that the program opened doors that were previously closed. She now runs Aliento, an immigrant advocacy group in Arizona and, like many others in the DACA community, is preparing for potential challenges ahead, including the possibility of deportation.

"I have to take his (Trump's) words very seriously, that when they say 'mass deportation,' it also includes people like me," Montoya added.

DACA has not accepted new applicants since 2021, when a federal judge ruled it illegal, though current recipients can still renew their permits. Legal battles over the program's legitimacy are ongoing. A case initiated by Texas and other Republican-led states is pending before the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The ruling, expected to be appealed, may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Advocates are going on the offensive, highlighing the importance of supporting recipients during this period and urging the Biden administration to expedite permit renewals and are preparing for potential deportations through advocacy and legal aid. Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert, noted that while the current litigation process might outpace any immediate policy changes, DACA recipients should remain vigilant as they navigate an uncertain future.

"We still have a couple of months for the Biden administration to use every single tool at its disposal to protect and defend as many people as possible," Director of United we Dream Director Greisa Martinez Rosas told AP. "We're expecting for them to do that now more than ever."

Created in 2012 under President Barack Obama, DACA offers renewable two-year permits allowing recipients to live and work legally in the U.S. As of August, there were approximately 535,000 active DACA recipients, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.