DACA: By the Numbers

A new report released by the Congressional Research Service cites estimates that as of December 2020, over 1.7 million undocumented individuals may be eligible now or in the near future for protection from removal and work authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. According to these estimates, approximately 1.3 million are immediately eligible, another 384,000 are eligible except for the education requirements, and roughly 14,000 will be eligible soon due to age requirements.

Additional data in the report on DACA applications and recipient demographics provides interesting information about this program:

• Between the beginning of the program in 2012 through the end of FY2020, USCIS accepted 914,640 initial requests and approved 827,119 of them (90% approval rate)
• During that same time period, USCIS accepted 2,046,922 renewal requests and approved 1,976,108 of them (97% approval rate)
• Persons who had DACA on December 31, 2020, were nationals of more than 195 different countries
• The top ten countries of birth for DACA recipients ins 2020 are (in descending order): Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, South Korea, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina
• DACA recipients live in all 50 states, with nearly of all recipients living in California and Texas.

If you are interested in learning more about the eligibility requirements for DACA, please contact our office.