DACA Updates

UC Stands with DACA Participants After Federal Appeals Court Upholds Texas v. USA, finding DACA Unlawful
After the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision upholding the State of Texas, et al., v. United States (2021) ruling that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program is unlawful, leaders of California's public higher education institutions issued a statement about their continued commitment to undocumented students, staff and faculty.

Read the joint statement.


UC Immigrant Legal Services Center Summary, July 2022
There are currently two separate legal processes occurring in regard to the DACA program. First, the government may soon finalize a rule that makes the DACA program into a Federal Regulation. Second, the case Texas v. United States, which ruled on July 16, 2021 that DACA is unlawful, has gone up to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

UCIMM's recommendation regarding DACA renewals: In general, we recommend that people continue to renew their DACA on time—between 120 and 150 days prior to expiration.


Call on Congress to pass bipartisan legislation now.
Join with UC and call on Congress to immediately pass bipartisan legislation that would provide a permanent solution for these young people – one that allows these Dreamers to continue to live, work and serve the only country most of them know as home. Take action to Protect our nation's Dreamers at UC Advocacy Network.


California DACA Update
Get updates from the California Immigrant Guide about community legal services providers and consumer alerts as well as information on education, finanial aid, employments, Medi-Cal, drivers licemces, and other DACA related services.


Jun. 28th: Supreme Court to decide on DACA
The Supreme Court agreed Friday June 28 to decide whether President Trump may end Obama-era protections for the young immigrants known as "Dreamers." The justices announced they would hear arguments in the fall over whether the administration has the authority to "wind down" the program. Under the court's schedule, a decision would not be handed down until late spring of next year. Lawsuits were filed in California to block the repeal, including one from the University of California and Napolitano, now its president. Read UC's statement on Supreme Court review of DACA.


Nov. 8th: U.S. appeals court rules against Trump on DACA immigration program.
A U.S. appeals court in California ruled on Thursday that President Donald Trump's administration must continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program begun under former President Barack Obama that protects hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who were brought into the country as children. The three-judge panel unanimously upheld a federal judge's January injunction maintaining the program, rejecting the administration's claim that the decision to end DACA was not reviewable by the courts. The ruling, the first by a federal appellate court to review the merits of the decision to rescind DACA, stems from a lawsuit brought by the University of California, the states of California, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota and others challenging Trump's move to end DACA.


April 24th: Complete block of DACA rescission is on hold for 90 days.
An April 24th injunction by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is on hold. The D.C. court judge "stayed his decision for 90 days and gave the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the program, the opportunity to better explain its reasoning for canceling it. If the department fails to do so, it 'must accept and process new as well as renewal DACA applications'."


Feb. 26th: Supreme Court rejects Trump's DACA appeal.
On February 26th, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Trump administration's appeal of the federal district judge's Jan. 9 injunction against ending the DACA program, saying only that it expects the appeals court to "proceed expeditiously to decide this case."

The January 9th injunction from California and a similar February 13th injunction in New York remain in effect nationwide despite a March 5, 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Maryland deciding the Trump Administration has the authority to rescind DACA.

Until there are further developments in this or any other related lawsuits, the originally intended rescission date of March 5 has no significance. Read the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center's FAQ about DACA renewal, eligibility, campus assistance, renewal grants, and guidance on your rights and safety. RSVP for DACA Renewal workshops hosted on all of the UC campuses. Grants or other assistance to cover renewal fees may be available through the Mission Asset Fund.


Jan. 13th: DACA Renewals now being accepted.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, due to the January 9th federal district court order, USCIS has resumed accepting applications to renew the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. The federal court order directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to resume the DACA program and came about as a result of the University of California's lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its rescission of DACA.


Jan. 9th: US District Court Blocks Trump Administration Rescission of DACA.
The US District Court of Northern California in San Francisco has ruled that plaintiffs (including the Univesity of California) seeking a preliminary injunction to restore DACA have established a likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, and that the injunction is in the public interest. Stating that rescission of DACA was "not in accordance with law" because it was based on the flawed legal premise that the agency lacked authority to implement DACA, the court ruled that the Trump administration's action may be set aside as "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law."


Nov. 1st: UC Joins Legal Motion to Halt Repeal of DACA Program.
The University of California, along with other organizations and individuals who have sued the Trump administration over its rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, today (Nov. 1) jointly asked a federal judge to keep the program operating while legal motions proceed. The joint motion argues that the federal government violated federal procedures, failed to justify its decision and did not undergo the proper notice-and-comment process required to rescind DACA. The motion asks the court to maintain DACA pending a final court ruling... Read more.


Sept. 8th: University of California sues Trump administration on unlawful repeal of DACA program
The University of California today (Sept. 8) filed suit in federal court against the Trump administration for wrongly and unconstitutionally violating the rights of the University and its students by rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on "nothing more than unreasoned executive whim." The lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its acting secretary, Elaine Duke, is the first to be filed by a university seeking to stop the Trump administration's recently announced decision to end the DACA program... Read more.


Sept. 7th: UCSF Pledges Continued Support for DACA Students, Staff During Town Hall
In opening remarks for the Defending DACA forum, Renee Navarro, MD, vice chancellor of Diversity and Outreach, said, "It's now more important than ever before for us to stand shoulder to shoulder together in defense of the rights of those who are members of the DACA program." Watch the video of the forum here!

Sign statements of support: UC Faculty | Healthcare Professionals

The forum was held to discuss the potential ramifications of changes to the DACA program and to reaffirm support for undocumented students and staff in the UCSF community... Read more.


Sept. 5th Update: UC President Napolitano Denounces DACA Decision, calls on Congress
In addition to the public statement and message to the UC community that President Napolitano issued this morning, emphasizing her strong objection to this decision and UC's commitment to protecting and supporting UC's DACA and other undocumented students and members of the community, UC has also transmitted two letters to members of Congress... Read more.


Sept. 5th Statement from the Chancellor
In light of today's news, we are working quickly to assess the ramifications of President Trump's decision in order to offer guidance to the Dreamers currently enrolled at UCSF and their families, as well as the faculty and staff who teach and support them.

Alejandra Rincón, assistant vice chancellor and chief of staff for the Office of Diversity and Outreach, and LaMisha Hill, Director of the Multicultural Resource Center, are working closely with the UC Office of the President on issues concerning undocumented students. As more information becomes known it will be posted on diversity.ucsf.edu and undocu.ucsf.edu. Related resources are listed below, and information also can be obtained by contacting Dr. Rincón at [email protected].

In addition, the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center, operating out of the UC Davis School of Law, serves the immigration-related legal needs of undocumented and immigrant students in the University of California system. For more information, please contact Paralegal Karina Rocha at [email protected] or (530) 752-7996.

Read more about our institutional response and related resources.


UCILSC: What the Rescission of DACA Means
The University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center is deeply disappointed to share news that you may have already heard today: the President has stated he will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program on March 5, 2018.